Chapter 11
11
A nanya reread the latest blueprint that her team had sent her for Noir’s next edition. It was lunchtime on a Friday, and she still had a lot of work to be done. She exhaled. Every day, there was a lot to be done. Noir’s six-year anniversary was in two months, and they were coming up with a bonus, special print issue. They had photo shoots to be done, models to coordinate with, advertisements to finalize, interviews to be conducted, articles to review and… her list was endless. Added to that, the annual Noir Fashion Week was scheduled in Mumbai in four months. She had too much to be done and too little time to do it. She checked the time on her watch. She was to meet Zeeshan and Devina in fifteen minutes. She stretched her neck from side to side, cursing herself for adding this lunch in the middle of a busy workday.
She looked out of the window of her office in Poseidon’s headquarters. Dubai’s tall skyscrapers could be seen in full view here. This twelfth floor was mostly dedicated to Noir. She also had a team here that managed the media aspect of Poseidon.
She blankly stared outside the window. The whole week had simply flown by. She was thankful to be busy with work. Being busy meant not having time to think of him , at least during the days. The nights though…
She shook her head. She was not going to think about how he’d taken over her dreams once again. She swiveled her chair and focused on the spreadsheet open on her laptop.
A tremor ran down her nape. The door to her office opened, and Mihir Oshnov sauntered in like he owned the place. Ananya’s assistant followed him hurriedly, looking harassed.
Think of the devil and the devil appeared, looking suave and handsome as ever. Fuck. Mihir Oshnov wore his Tom Ford suit like a second skin.
Leah threw her hands in the air. “I’m sorry, Ananya. I told him he couldn’t meet you without an appointment, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Very typical of him,” Ananya said. “That’s alright, Leah. I’ll take it from here.”
Her assistant left, shutting the door behind her. Before Ananya could even open her mouth to address him, he tossed a manila envelope in front of her.
“These are our divorce papers. Sign them,” he growled.
Her brows shot up at his haughty tone.
She glared at the papers and then at him. “Do you think you can walk in here and simply order me around?”
“I want you to sign the damn papers, Anna.”
“And I don’t want to see your face, husband ,” she retorted. “Looks like we both aren’t getting what we want.”
He stormed closer to her desk. “We made a deal, Anna.”
“The deal was that we have to convince our siblings that we can get along, husband ,” Ananya said.
“My siblings are convinced,” he barked.
God, he was always so angry. She hated it, and then she cursed herself. She didn’t care if he was angry. He could go to hell for all she cared.
She stood, crossing her desk to stand in front of him. “Mine are not.”
“Then that seems like your problem. I’ve done my part of the deal.”
She tossed the envelope to the side. “Just being seen together once doesn’t constitute proving that you and I can get along. The thing is, Mihir, I don’t trust you. I don’t trust you not to back out of your word to me once I sign these papers. This divorce is the only leverage I have over you.”
“Apart from that video, you mean.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Alright, we do it your way. But that means some more rules and boundaries have to be put in place.”
She leaned against her desk. “Go on. Clearly, you’ve come with a list.”
“That video you showed me, do you know how dangerous it is for my reputation?”
She lifted a shoulder and dropped it, looking uninterested. However, she was glad that she had managed to rile him up. He deserved some sleepless nights for all the pain he had caused her over the years.
“Had you not threatened me that day, I never would have shown you the video,” she said.
“I want that video gone, Anna.”
She bent just a little closer to him. “Too bad I don’t dance to your tune, husband . However, I can assure you that as long as you don’t threaten Noir, I will never use the video.”
“No, you will just keep publishing whatever you feel like about me,” he snapped. “That is unacceptable. I know I said I didn’t care what you posted about me, but since you have no sound judgment of what information is acceptable for public consumption, I want you to stop publishing anything about me in your magazine.”
“You and I are not going to agree easily on this. Let’s table this for now before we have a full-blown argument. What are your other conditions?”
“No touching. Definitely no kissing, not even on the cheek. And what happened that day in the pool house can never repeat. Had you not initiated it, nothing would have happened. Stay the fuck away from me, henceforth.”
“You think I initiated it?” She gaped at him. “Wait. Are you blaming me for that incident?”
“Yes.”
She studied him carefully. Eyes ablaze, jaw tight, and fists clenched, Mihir looked like he wanted to punch something. It dawned on her that the only reason he was blaming her for that fiasco was because then he could deny his own part in it. That he’d also felt something for her that afternoon. She’d been there. She’d heard his ragged breaths and felt his hard erection pushing at her core. He had wanted her. And now, he didn’t want to accept that. He didn’t want to accept that he, too, had felt that charge… that electricity that always crackled between them when they were close. That he, too, had been helpless against the raw chemistry that had erupted between them. That he’d been a slave to the demands of his body.
She wet her lips. Saw his gaze latch onto her mouth for a brief second before he looked away.
“Coward,” she said, feeling more certain of his attraction to her.
His brows shot up. “What did you just call me?”
“You’re a coward, Mihir. You’re putting the onus of that afternoon on me without taking an iota of responsibility for yourself. And guess what, I know why you’re doing this.”
“Sure, let’s hear your theory, da ?” he scorned.
She moved a step closer to him. “The fact is that you are very attracted to me, and you couldn’t resist touching me that day. When I was in your arms, you lost complete control of your body and your mind, isn’t it?”
“ Nyet . No.”
“Liar.”
He shifted on his feet. His discomfort ought not to give her so much pleasure, but it did. She’d prove to this bloody arrogant man that he was attracted to her. She’d prove that the attraction between them was still raw and wild, and that he couldn’t help himself when it came to her. Mihir may hate her, but he still wanted her.
Stop this craziness , her brain said to her in warning.
She ignored it, and stepped closer to Mihir.
His eyes flared. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you what still exists between us.” She ran a finger down his mouth. His lips parted open on a rough exhale.
She took another step closer. His shoulders tensed, but he remained in place, watching her.
Her finger traced down his throat through the open collar of his shirt. “What has always been there. What time, distance, and your hate hasn’t been able to change.”
“Stop talking,” he bit out.
Stop this…stop this… The chant in her head grew louder. But she shut down all voices of sanity. For too long, it had felt that Mihir had the upper hand in this hate-ignore-hate-ignore relationship that festered between them. But suddenly, it felt like she was the one with the power.
What she’d said to him in the warehouse that night was true. She did know all the ways to make him beg, to make him tremble. And now, she wanted to see him shudder and tremble.
Her hand scraped down his chest. “What if I liked the feel of your mouth on mine? What if I liked the feel of your hands on me?”
“Stop talking, and stop touching me.”
“Why?” She ran her fingers across the skin at his nape. His lips quivered… just the slightest.
The victory made her bolder. “Are you afraid that if I continue, you will realize that you actually can’t resist me? What will you do then, Mihir?”
“I said stop.”
“Make me.”
Her hand curled around his nape, pulling him closer. Her other hand ran down his mouth, tracing his lips. His eyes turned feral. She scraped her nails down his nape, and he shuddered.
“The problem here isn’t me,” she said. “It’s that you aren’t man enough to accept that you are attracted to me.”
The gold in his eyes darkened.
She continued boldly, “How will you look at yourself in the mirror when you are so clearly attracted to the woman you claim to hate so vehemently, the woman you married, the woman who’s still your wife?—”
Before she could comprehend what was happening, his hand sank into her hair, and his mouth captured hers in a punishing kiss. Her heart sputtered and blood rushed to her ears.
Fuck. She had unleashed a storm, and now she was going to drown with him.
Mihir plundered her mouth, attacking her lips, sucking on them until she opened for him. When she did, he swooped in and laid siege to every inch of her mouth. The kiss was hard, brutal, needy—it was everything she wanted. She tightened her arms around his head, pulling him closer, surrendering to him and the demands of his mouth.
Mihir’s hands roamed down her back, stroking her, caressing her, pulling her closer to him, while his mouth continued to mesh with hers. One second, she was standing in front of him; the next, he had her pinned under him on her desk. He moved into her legs, his erection pressing against her core. Her head spun. Dizziness assaulted her. Nothing and no one mattered anymore. It was just him, and the emotions he was waking up inside her. Lust slammed into her, need rushed through her veins, and desire pooled in her core. She wanted him hopelessly, endlessly.
Mihir’s hands roamed over her body, skimming her curves, up and then down again. He touched her bare thigh, and she thanked her stars she was wearing a dress to work, grateful for the easy access he had to her skin. One hand inched up and up her thigh, while another cupped her breast. Her nipples puckered beneath her bra. His lips continued to ravage her mouth, fiercely. She drew her breaths from him.
God, she was being consumed by him. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. So much more that only he could give her. That only he had ever given her.
The phone at her desk rang. Mihir paused. He lifted his head, staring at her. The phone rang again, and he suddenly leapt away from her as if burned. She sat up, adjusting her clothes, her heart racing beyond her control. Her phone rang incessantly.
Fuck, she’d done it again. Why did this man provoke her into the most thoughtless and ill-advised behavior?
Still seated on her desk, she answered the call. “What?”
“A Mr. Zeeshan and a Miss Devina are here for you,” Leah said.
Ananya sighed. “Send them in.”
Mihir glared at her, remaining in place.
“I guess I proved my point, husband ,” she said as calmly as she could, glad he couldn’t hear the frantic beating of her heart.
His eyes turned to ice. She lifted her jaw, staring him down.
There was a knock on her door. Ananya stood just as Zeeshan and Devina entered, both bearing wide smiles. She saw the exact moment they spotted Mihir. Their smiles wavered, and their eyes widened.
“Mihir?” Zeeshan called out. “You’re alive?”
Devina opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out of her lips.
Mihir’s gaze finally left Ananya and landed on her old friends. The recognition in his eyes quickly gave way to aversion.
“You?” Mihir’s voice dripped with disdain. “I can’t believe you vultures haven’t stopped circling her. So pathetic.”
Devina gasped. Zeeshan’s mouth fell slack in horror.
“What is wrong with you?” Ananya yelled at Mihir.
“I’m sorry, Zeeshan, Devina. He doesn’t know how to be nice anymore.”
“Don’t speak on my behalf, Anna,” Mihir shot back. “I’ve never liked them, and finally, I don’t need to hesitate to say it out loud.”
“Oh my God. Mihir, just go.” Frustration swamped her.
He tipped his head at the envelope. “Don’t make this worse, Anna.”
She stared at the door long after he had stormed out. Fuck. In provoking him to touch her, she had indeed made things between them worse. Much worse.
“How is he alive?” Zeeshan’s stunned voice made her finally look at her friends. For a moment, she’d forgotten they were even there.
“Why didn’t you ever tell us?” Devina asked.
She narrowed her eyes. “How do you not know?”
Zeeshan splayed his palms out. “I’ve been in some godforsaken Ethiopian villages for the last five years, Ananya. How would I have known? You never mentioned it in our chats either. Not that you have been in touch a lot.”
“And I live in Mumbai mostly,” Devina explained. “And even when I’m in Dubai…it’s not like I move in the same social circles as him. How could I have known?
“I know we aren’t as tight as before,” Zeeshan continued, “but seriously, Ananya, did you know he was alive?” He shook his head. “You were devastated when you thought he’d died. We were there. We saw it. Then what the fuck happened?”
Ananya looked to the side and out of her window. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?” Devina asked. “Aren’t you guys together?”
“Did it look like we’re together?”
“He still calls you Anna,” Devina remarked.
She shrugged. “Force of habit, I suppose.”
Zeeshan studied her. “Fuck, we need to talk. Does Asha know?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” she said. “I haven’t mentioned him to anyone, and like you said, we’re all not really in touch. Anyway, how come you’re both here? I thought we were meeting at Zuma.”
“Didn’t you read your messages? We both ended up reaching early. They needed time to give us a table, so instead of waiting there, we thought of coming to your office instead.”
Ananya smiled at her friends, noticing the people they’d become. Zeeshan was smartly dressed in dark brown trousers and a matching jacket, with a green shirt on the inside. Devina was wearing a smart blue blazer dress with gold buttons.
“Look at you both,” Ananya gushed. “I’m so proud of you. Zeeshan, you’ve changed from this wild party boy to this serious humanitarian soul. And, you Devina, you are a businesswoman. And the ease with which you shuffle between Mumbai and here, it’s amazing.”
Devina shrugged. “Well, my business is not as successful as what you’ve created with Noir.”
Zeeshan gave Ananya a smile. “Life teaches you so much. It was time to change and become better. But you tell us about Mihir. I have so many questions.”
“Yeah, me too,” Devina said.
Ananya grabbed her bag and wound her arm with Zeeshan’s. “Come on, let’s walk to Zuma. We can talk on the way.”
Zeeshan, Asha, and Devina had been her good friends at one time. Asha and Zeeshan were the ones who had told her about Mihir’s death. They had heard in college that Mihir’s brothers had informed the college faculty of his death. That they had collected his post-graduation degree from the dean and informed him how Mihir had died in a fire while visiting a house in Kent—the same house they had honeymooned in. Ananya never knew what to feel about leaving that house just a few minutes before Mihir had returned to it. Just a few minutes… but it had managed to upturn her world and her life as she knew it.
Devina had been the one to force her sisters to take Ananya back to Dubai so she could heal with her family around her. When she’d been too devastated to think, her friends had been her rocks. She owed them some explanation, for old times’ sake. The realization made her grateful they’d not sensed the tension between Mihir and her for what it was, or she’d have a whole lot of different explaining to do.
Her cheeks still burned thinking of how she’d taunted Mihir into reacting to her. She sighed. It had been a bad idea, but damn, these bad ideas felt so damn good. The way her body still burned where Mihir had laid hands on her was a testament to this. God, she had to stop thinking about Mihir. At once.
The three of them reached the ground floor and exited the Poseidon building, talking in soft tones.
“Navya and Reina are dating Mihir’s brothers? That’s some news!” Zeeshan looked at her in disbelief.
“Yes.”
“Sweet,” he replied.
“But Mihir and you are not together?” Devina asked, looking confused, perhaps at how the dynamics had changed.
“Yes.”
“Let’s go via this alley. It’s a shorter route,” Devina said, steering them down the small lane.
“How are you really feeling about all this?” Zeeshan asked.
“To be honest, I was shattered at one time. But I’m better now.” She shifted to the side, allowing the people to pass. “I can’t help it if he blames me for whatever happened to him in London and that he refuses to talk to me about it.”
Zeeshan halted in the middle of the alleyway, looking stunned. She stopped beside him. More people went past them.
“Fuck, Ananya. I…,” he paused, and looked away for a moment.
Before she could ask him to continue, a man bumped into her. Ananya gasped as she felt a sharp, searing pain through her side. It felt hot and wet beneath her ribs. Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked down. A dark stain was spreading across the fabric of her beige dress.
Zeeshan and Devina screamed. She heard the sound of running footsteps from somewhere close. Cold; she felt cold. A high-pitched ringing began in her ears before she crumpled to the ground and her vision went dark.