Chapter Twenty-Two
Arya
“You hooked up again?” yells Noor.
Anaya’s mouth spreads into a grin, taunting, “I thought you hated him. And he’s a client. A douche. I would never let him touch me. Blah, blah, blah.”
I slurp on the soupy noodles and chew fast while glowering at my two best friends on the video call. “Out of everything I mentioned, that’s the part you both focus on? FYI,” I point a finger at a smug Anaya, “I’ve never called him a douche.”
“Celebrities’ phones get hacked all the time,” says Anaya flippantly. “After the rumor about his engagement, someone was bound to search for proof.”
“It’s awful, though,” Noor says in a sympathetic voice. “It’s all over the news.”
“Trending,” adds Anaya. “Lucky for him, he has our girl Arya on his side.”
Noor’s hair shakes as she nods. The sunlight pouring in from the window behind her makes the strands shine beautifully. “How’s he doing? Did he sneak out without running into the media standing outside the hotel? They must be like a pack of wolves waiting to pounce on him.”
“Nathan was alarmingly calm and kept his emotions concealed,” I answer, still impressed.
It shouldn’t be a surprise since he grew up in an influential family and knows how to handle a scandal.
“Thankfully, he left before chaos erupted after a media personnel member sneaked inside past the bodyguards. The clip of his text exchange got taken down quickly, but the damage was done.”
I felt Nathan slip away and his walls come up around me.
The past mistake he’s trying to forget and move on from was thrown maliciously in his face.
The situation between us became inconsequential.
It reminded us of what’s at stake.
We had gotten caught in a bubble before it got burst by the arrow of reality.
I’m his publicist.
Becoming involved with each other will be catastrophic for us. I have to draw the boundaries and make them stick.
“I see the wheels turning in your head, Aru,” tsks Anaya.
I put down the bowl of noodles on my bed. “I’m thinking about work.”
“Noooo,” she sings. “You’re thinking of resisting him. Girl, you gotta help him relieve his stress in exchange for mind-blowing orgasms.”
I might have sung his praises in the flow.
“You did say he initiated it,” mumbles Noor with a shrug. “Heated arguments are just another form of foreplay for you two.”
Is that true?
“Stop denying you don’t want him, Arya.”
“I am not,” I admit to Anaya. “But I also don’t like his hot-and-cold behavior. He has a dark side. He basically told me he’s no good for me. why did I have to have such intense chemistry with a man that I can’t stand half the time? Who is far more complicated than a math puzzle?”
“There’s a simple solution.”
Noor and I pay attention to Anaya silently. Pihu, my kitten, rises and stretches from a deep slumber and crawls into my lap. She purrs, like she’s a part of the conversation with my best friends.
“Make a deal with him.”
“Deal?” I echo.
“An enemy-with-benefits kinda arrangement. You’re both gonna do a dance of tango around each other for weeks before falling into bed again. Save the hassle and ask him for a sexual relationship without the commitment or emotional attachment.”
I lurch back in astonishment. “A booty call arrangement?”
“Call it whatever you like.” Anaya waves her hand. “Set clear boundaries and expectations from the start. Once you both get each other out of your systems, end it. No harm. No foul.”
“It… could work,” mumbles Noor.
I arch a brow at her. “You agree with her?”
“You said he’s the best you’ve ever had.”
“Your cheeks are still glowing from tonight’s orgasm.”
Noor’s head bobs. “Besides, you’re both adults. Neither of you is interested in dating. You trust him with your body. You can focus clearly on work when you’re at his office. What’s the disadvantage?”
Nothing comes to mind.
Nathan makes me feel like the most desirable and sexy woman in the world when he touches me. Dominates me. He makes my body come alive in ways my ex never did, even at our best. Every time he praises me, I melt into a puddle.
I crave the feeling like a fiend.
I want him to teach me about filthy and debauched sex.
The problem lies in how I am going to find the courage to ask him.
“What if he rejects me?” I ask my friends. “It’ll make everything worse. He could fire me, guys.”
They stare at me like I’m being silly.
“He wants you just as badly, Arya,” Anaya utters confidently. “The man rejected Samaira after one look at you. He only brought her to make you jealous in his own twisted way. He will say yes.”
“Listen, if you aren’t sure or are nervous, wait until he makes a move again,” suggests Noor. “When he does, ask him. Lay down your terms if he wishes to sleep with you.”
Am I really considering this? Does that make me insane?
Could I handle an arrangement for nothing but sex?
***
“Hey, Rani,” I greet the receptionist at Singhania and Sons headquarters. “I have an appointment with Mr. Singhania.”
When I received the text this morning from Erika informing Nathan wanted to meet, it caught me off guard. It’s a clear sign he regrets last night and is using her to communicate. Moreover, he invited me to his office. One place where he never wanted to hold our meetings.
I took this for the hint that it was.
No more dark corner rendezvous for us.
“Let me check if Mr. Rakesh is in his office real quick,” replies Rani, picking up the phone.
I draw a blank hearing Nathan’s father's name. “Umm… Rakesh? I think you’re mistaken. I’m here to meet Nathan.”
“I don’t think so.” She frowns, pausing. “Erika set up a meeting with Mr. Rakesh Singhania. He is upstairs in his office. You should go. He doesn’t like waiting.”
Red flags start flashing in my vision.
That bitch Erika.
She played me.
At the moment, my anxiety outweighs my anger at her trick. Why does Rakesh want to meet alone with me? Behind his son’s back, no less? I’m unprepared. Completely out of my realm as to what den of vipers I’m walking into.
I should’ve checked in with Nathan once. Should’ve known he wouldn’t change his mind about meeting at his firm. But my overthinking brain was too caught up in what happened between us yesterday.
Rani guides me to the older Singhania’s office. A floor below Nathan’s office.
I reach the floor all too soon. His assistant, a woman in her forties wearing a stony expression and her hair in a tight bun, knocks on his door and ushers me inside.
The room is spacious and similar to his son’s, except for the wall with bookshelves. In the center is a large mahogany desk. Behind it sits the scary and conniving man himself on a modern chair.
In my mind, I pictured him having a throne while he lorded over his employees. That’s the vibe I got from how everybody described him.
Outwardly, Rakesh is an average-looking man with a big pot belly and a mustache, resembling an old crime lord. Beneath the expensive suit and calm and reserved demeanor he’s trying to project, you can tell it’s a facade if you observe closely.
He regards me with a calculating glint in his expression. A deceptive, welcoming smile perched on his lips.
Oh, you aren’t fooling me.
I’ve swam in the deep waters full of sharks my entire life.
“Hello, Miss Chopra,” he greets formally. “Have a seat.”
Crossing the short distance with a confident sway in my step, I sit down across from him and place my purse on the chair next to me. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Singhania.”
“Glad you made the time to come see me.”
A misunderstanding led me here.
He continues. “I apologize if it was very last minute. I’m sure you’ll understand my urgency after the fiasco of last night at the gala.”
“I do.” Tilting my head, I ask, “Should we invite Nathan? The fiasco pertains to him.”
He smiles. Unfriendly. “I was hoping to discuss this without his presence.”
“Why?” A man like him prefers straightforwardness. I also want him to know that I’m not intimidated by him.
“Fatherly concern,” he replies, resting one hand on the arm of the chair. “Sons don’t like it when their dads meddle in their business. Hence, the discretion. I would like to know the measures you’re taking to fix his mess.”
So, you can create obstacles? Hell no.
“Nathan is the face of this company, and this scandal threatens to tarnish the legacy I’ve built for him to lead. I’m making sure you realize what’s at stake and can handle the problem.”
“Unfortunately, I cannot go into details with you, lest I breach my contract. My client is Nathan, not Singhania and Sons,” I explain politely but firmly. “However, let me assure you that I am working diligently and guiding Nathan through this is my top priority.”
His jaw grinds before he quickly smoothens it with a tight smile. Leaning forward, he gives me a hard look. “His terrible mistake in his personal life is hurting my company and making everyone question the morals it was built on…”
“You mean Nathan’s company?” I remind him. “He is the present CEO.”
“Singhania and Sons will always be my firm first. I’ve chosen and made Nathan the leader that he is today. He is representing me while sitting at the top. So far, he’s been nothing but a disappointment.”
The authoritarian nature that Nathan warned me about flares to life. Witnessing the ferocity of it firsthand brings some clarity.
Rakesh Singhania wants to see his son fail.
Or at the very least, have him under his control.
I cannot allow either to happen, which means I can’t make him my enemy.
“I understand your concerns, Mr. Singhania. It’s your blood, sweat, and tears with which you’ve built this empire.
To see it harmed by your own son must make you angry.
I just hope you give me a chance to fix it.
I’m bound by contract. A man like you should appreciate that I’m abiding by it.
It shows my character that I won’t disclose the details, even to a powerful man like you. ”
A little bit of his ire simmers down. His brows pull together as he listens to my speech. With a sigh, he reluctantly nods. “I do appreciate it. I’ve met your father a couple of times. He has raised you well.”
“Thank you.”
“Shame your fiancé didn’t appreciate you.”
I put on a fake smile. “It was my ex-fiancé’s loss for sure.”
“I would’ve been proud had my son chosen someone like you to marry, instead of that cheating gold digger.”
My fingers curl into a ball as I try to rein in my temper, holding on to my composure. I don’t like his demeaning tone.
How can he talk about Iris like this? Kian would wage a war against him if he heard him.
“It’s all her fault we’re in this mess,” Rakesh hisses. “She trapped my son and swindled him for money. I thought he was smarter than that.”
My blood boils the more he talks. I may not know the whole story about Nathan and Iris’s fake relationship, but I do know Iris doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body. There must’ve been another reason why she agreed to date Nathan.
“They’re no longer together, so you don’t need to worry,” I force myself to reply.
“Good riddance.”
“If there’s nothing else, may I leave?” I make a show of gazing at my wristwatch. “I have another appointment.”
“Here, have my card.” He passes it. “In case my son gives you trouble and you need my help. While I understand you can’t share the nitty-gritty of the case, I would like to be kept in the loop about the progress.”
It’s not a request. “Sure, Mr. Singhania.”
I have no intention of doing his bidding.
As soon as I’m out of the office, I briskly walk to the elevator and press the button. Opening my purse, I yank out my phone to text Nathan. I type…
ME: Hey, are you…
The elevator dings open, making my gaze fly upward halfway through typing the message.
Butterflies somersault inside my stomach when I come face to face with Nathan. There’s no one inside the car but him. Dressed to kill in a light gray Brioni suit and his hair slicked back stylishly, he takes my breath away.
Our eyes lock with a magnetic pull.
His stormy eyes darken as soon as he realizes which floor I am on. In the next breath, I’m yanked inside the elevator and backed into a far corner.