Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
SHIVINA
I had never made the moves on a man before. And I didn’t know what made me say something so blatant to Ranvijay. I still flushed when I thought of his name, but I had been practising in front of the mirror all evening, and I knew I was getting better.
All I knew was that I had been waiting impatiently for him to return. I had vacillated between ‘it must have been something important for him to leave his new wife’ and ‘my husband’s work mattered more to him than his wife’ until I drove myself batty. I hadn’t missed the disapproving look on Rani Ma’s face when I told her he’d left with the Yuvaraj of Jadhwal, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask where he’d gone. I had to trust that he’d tell me if I needed to know.
And when he did return, instead of allowing him to eat his dinner like a good wife, I was pushing for more. Thankfully, he seemed to want it just as much as I did.
His eyes darkened at my words, and he stared at me intently.
“Are you sure?” he murmured.
I nodded breathlessly. Ranvijay bent and picked me up before I realised what was happening and carried me back into our bedroom, our dinner forgotten on the swing.
He set me down gently and kissed me. First softly, and then harder, until I forgot my own name. From one breath to the next, we devoured each other with hot, wet kisses. I ran my hand through his hair, and he ran his hands gently upwards from my waist to the sides of my breasts. I melted at the warm, firm touch which trailed molten fire through my whole body.
Ranvijay reached down and pulled my kurta off over my head, and I fought the urge to cover myself. With a grin, I grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it off. And almost swallowed my tongue at the sight of his perfectly sculpted chest.
He groaned softly, and I looked up in surprise.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said gruffly.
“Or what?”
“Or I won’t be responsible for what happens.”
I sucked in a sharp breath at his words.
“That sounds promising,” I teased before I reached out and raked my nails over his chest, trailing my fingers over the skin, enjoying the way his nipples beaded tightly. I could feel mine doing the same in response.
Then, I couldn’t hold out any longer and did what I had been aching to do since I set eyes on him the first time. I leaned forward and licked that delectable chest. It surprised a huff out of my husband, and he gripped my hips hard as I began to nibble my way across his broad shoulders. His hands slid up and cupped my breasts gently. He flicked his fingers across my nipples, and I let out a soft gasp as his action sent sparks shooting down to my core.
Ranvijay turned me around to face the mirror, and I shuddered at the sight of my bare skin against his. He cupped my breasts again, harder this time, squeezing and moulding them until I was shaking with need. He ran his hands all over me, stroking me, learning all the curves and dips of my body, reducing me to a fiery ball of desire.
He nipped the tender skin of my shoulders and sucked on it until it left a mark, repeating the process on the underside of my arm. I was shuddering in response, raking my nails down the sides of his thighs. Ranvijay walked me towards the bed, and I fell forward to land on the soft mattress on my stomach. He covered me with his body and licked and nibbled a soft line down my spine, making me shriek with desire.
I clawed the bedsheets until I could take it no more and pushed him off so I could roll over. My husband stared at me with a feral grin, and I opened my arms for him. He shucked off his pants before he came to me, and my eyes widened at the size of him. He was huge, and I was sure he wouldn’t fit in me completely, but I wanted every delicious-looking inch inside me.
I threw off my salwar and lay there in my serviceable cotton bra and panties, wondering how such a man could ever find me attractive.
“Stop thinking,” he said firmly. “I can see the wheels turning inside your head.”
“Make me,” I challenged.
With a laugh, he crawled up the length of my body and pressed his hardness against my wet, waiting centre. He rubbed the head of his erection against my core over my panties, and I moaned at the sensations that shot through me.
I pulled myself into a sit-up and reached for him as I wound my legs around his hips in welcome. This time, it was I who kissed him, sucking on his tongue hard as I clutched his shoulders and tried to get even closer to him.
Ranvijay pushed my bra straps down and exposed my breasts to his burning gaze. Again, I wanted to cover myself with my hands, but he stroked me with the head of his cock, and my hips opened a little wider.
He bent and sucked on my nipple until I arched my back even more. That brought my core flat against his hardness, and I ground my hips against him until I was shaking and sobbing with desire, and I knew I was very close to the edge. But just as I thought I was about to come apart, he pushed me down on the bed, denying me the release I craved.
I moaned in complaint, but Ranvijay leaned over to grab a condom from the bedside table. In one swift movement, he ripped my panties off, and there was nothing between us anymore.
“You’re ready for me,” he murmured, slipping a finger into my wetness. I grabbed it with my inner muscles, willing him to go on, but the bastard pulled his finger away. He slipped the condom on deftly and slid home in one slow, smooth thrust.
I pushed my hips even wider, trying to take him in even deeper until he was buried in me to the hilt. I couldn’t breathe from the fullness even though I was sopping wet.
“Need a minute?” he asked through gritted teeth, holding himself very still.
In response, I raised my hips just a little bit and squeezed him with my inner muscles. He groaned and dropped his head into the crook of my shoulder as he gripped my hands tightly over my head.
“You’re a witch,” he murmured in my ear, and in retaliation, I moved my hips in a tight little corkscrew.
That was all it took to set him off. Ranvijay slammed into me with deep, slow thrusts that took my breath away, and I began to come apart around him. My inner muscles milked him hard as I shook and trembled and shuddered through my orgasm. I could feel my uterus cramping with the force of my climax, but Ranvijay kept going until the tremors subsided.
I went limp against the pillow, and he paused to change the angle of his thrusts. To my surprise, I began to feel the tingles of another orgasm approaching, and this one took me completely by surprise. I came against him even harder and let out a loud cry as I went over the edge. I was barely aware of him shuddering against me and coming with a guttural cry that echoed mine.
I lay there, too stunned to speak and too weak to move, until he dragged himself off me and rolled me over to the side to face him.
“Are you okay?” he asked, studying my face carefully.
I gave him a weak smile and a nod, which was answer enough.
He kissed me tenderly before he got up and went to the bathroom. He returned with a warm, wet cloth and helped me clean up before he spooned me under the covers. And all I could think about was that we had used a condom.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Umm, why did you use a condom? I thought you wanted an heir,” I said hesitantly.
“Yes, but I want us to get to know each other first. There’s no rush, Shivina.”
I felt a wave of relief rush through me. I’d been feeling an unnamed dread at consummating this marriage because I was worried it would feel more like a baby-making endeavour than making love. Ranvijay had made sure it didn’t feel that way.
I curled up in his arms and closed my eyes for just a minute. But the events of the night had tired me out, and I fell asleep instantly. It was early morning when I woke, and Ranvijay was already up and dressed in workout clothes.
He kissed me awake gently, and my eyelids struggled to flutter open.
“I’m heading to the gym, Shivina,” he whispered.
“I want to come too,” I murmured sleepily.
“Rest now. I’ll have the trainer call you to set up a schedule when you’re ready. Take some time off to enjoy the palace if you like.”
I mumbled something in reply and fell asleep again.
When I woke next, it was to the sound of birds chirping outside my window and the smell of masala chai wafting towards me from a tray on my bedside table.
Someone had drawn the curtains and left me to wake up on my own. I was thankful for the privacy when I realised that I wasn’t wearing anything under the covers. I swore to make sure I always put my clothes on before I fell asleep from now on because the staff had complete access to our bedroom. I’d die if Sannata Mausi saw me like this, and God help me if Zarna walked into the room. She’d never let me live it down.
When I ventured out of my room after a quick shower, I realised my sister was still asleep. Sannata Mausi offered to wake her up, but I insisted on doing it myself. Zarna and I had a routine, and I wanted to get back to it.
I climbed into bed with her and gently pushed the hair away from her sleeping face. With a smile, I began to sing to her like I used to do when she was a baby.
Baisa laadkaa ghanaa,
(Baisa is so lovable)
Baisa futraa ghanaa.
(Baisa is so beautiful)
Baisa apodhi vevo,
(Baisa, please wake up)
Baisa laadkaa ghanaa.
(Baisa is adorable.)? *
Zarna grumbled and turned over to the other side, but I kept singing until she threw a pillow at my face. That’s when I began tickling her until she shrieked with laughter.
“Get up, Zarna. We need to get you back to your school routine.”
She sat up in alarm.
“Di! Will I have to change my school now that we’ve moved to Mirpur?”
“No! You’ll just have a longer commute each way. About an hour each way. But that can’t be helped for now. We’ll figure out a better solution once we’re settled here. I’m going to ask Rani Ma if we can arrange for a car and driver to take you to school for now because it will take you much longer to commute by bus.”
A week later, Zarna had settled into the palace better than I’d expected. Rani Ma and Sannata Mausi doted on her, and she was blooming from the love and care that had been lacking in her life until now. As for me, I still couldn’t believe this was not a dream. But even if it was, I never wanted to wake from it.
There was more to the role of Maharani than I’d thought. Even though the title had no recognition anymore, the Mirpur royals hadn’t forgotten their responsibility to their people. Rani Ma was a trustee for many schools and hospitals in the area, and she took her duties seriously. She took me around to visit all of them, and I was amazed to see the work the family was doing to provide healthcare and education in their city.
During the day, I discovered new facets of my new family as I explored the palace, while at night, I discovered new facets of my husband. He didn’t like to talk about his work because most of that was confidential, but we spent hours talking about our lives until we met each other. For me, his way of life was something I had only read about in books. He had travelled all over the world and was educated at Eton and Harvard. And he had lived in the US for almost ten years until he returned to India last year.
“What made you come back?” I asked as I lay in his arms on the swing after dinner one night.
“I missed Ma, I guess,” he replied with a shrug. “She doesn’t like long flights anymore, so I wanted to be closer to her.”
I told him about my mother, who died when Zarna was a baby, and about Baba, who had done his best to make sure I didn’t lose my childhood just because I was helping him raise a motherless baby. He told me very little about his first wife except for the fact that she’d died when she fell off her horse and broke her neck.
Our nights were magical as Ranvijay played my body like a musical instrument. I didn’t even know you could make love in the shower without falling on your head.
“Told you,” he said smugly as he dried me with a fluffy white towel.
I tried to dry him back, and we ended up right where we began. Burning with desire.
“You’re a witch, aren’t you? Admit it,” he groaned when I straddled him on the bed.
Instead, I shook my head and held his burning gaze as I rubbed myself again against his knee. Hard enough to make me gasp. He gripped my hip tightly with his big hand and repeated the movement harder this time. Hard enough to make me moan.
“Do you like this?”
I nodded again and tried to get even closer to him. But he held me in place with his hand on my hip.
“You’ll have to say my name if you want more.”
A short laugh escaped me, and I relaxed in his arms. I hadn’t realised how tightly wound up I was until that moment. But he knew just how to get me to calm down.
I knew His Highness had a tendency to be bossy, and it was time to show him that I would never let him boss me around in bed. So I gave him a little shove as I leaned forward and let my hair fall around his face like a silken curtain.
“And what if I don’t… Hukum?” I whispered as I brazenly rode his hardness.
He grabbed my butt and squeezed it with both hands, holding me in place as he rubbed himself against me, literally making me see stars. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, he released his hold and left me teetering on the edge of release.
“Then I’ll have to punish you,” he whispered back, rolling me over and pinning my hands over my head.
Bending his head, he claimed my lips in a bruising kiss, and I almost came off the bed as I kissed him back. His tongue stroked mine, and it felt as if he’d set my whole body on fire. What madness was this?
I wasn’t a virgin when I met him, of course. I’d had a couple of boyfriends in college, but none of them ever made me feel like this. As if I’d die if I didn’t have him right now.
The bastard pulled away to smirk at me.
“Say my name, Shivina,” he teased.
“No,” I snapped and bit him on the shoulder. Who the hell did he think he was to order me about like that?
He hissed in surprise, and I was worried I had taken it too far. What was I thinking?
“You’re going to pay for that, Rani Sa,” he murmured, and I wondered if it was too late for me to run.
His Highness sat up, and I almost swallowed my tongue at the sight of the moonlight gleaming across his bare chest. His muscles rippled as he threw the towel across the room, and I felt the sudden, desperate need to nibble on that glorious chest.
Before I could have my way, he raised my foot and began kissing his way up the inside of my leg. When he got to the apex of my thighs, he stopped and started again with the other foot. By the time he finally settled down to feast on me, I was a writhing, moaning mass of need. And all thoughts of bossing him back flew out of my head.
The next morning, I was still sore when I went to wake Zarna. She had a mid-term break for a couple of days, and I was relieved she could catch up on some sleep.
“And what are we doing today?” she asked with a yawn.
“You’re going to be studying all day for your Russian Math exams while I’m going to visit the House of Trikhera studio.”
“How come you get to have fun while I have to work?” she grumbled.
“Because I’m not the genius in the family, you are,” I quipped. “And genius needs to be tortured daily for best results.”
We had breakfast together, and I set off for the fashion house with my heart in my mouth. Ranvijay had arranged for a car and chauffeur for my use, but I still felt like an imposter when the chauffeur greeted me like royalty and held the door open. I took a deep breath and decided I could get used to being driven around in air-conditioned comfort as long as I remembered my old days and was ready to travel by bus again if I had to.
House of Trikhera was a gorgeous studio in the heart of the Johri Bazaar in Trikhera. The Rani Sa came to the door to welcome me, and she was still as warm as she had been yesterday.
“You should be resting,” I said guiltily as I watched her waddle across the room. She looked like she’d pop the baby out if she sneezed too hard.
“Eh, resting is boring. Besides, I won’t be able to do much once the baby comes. And if I stay home, my husband fusses like an old hen,” she replied with a grin. “Come and have a look at the clothes.”
She waved a hand at racks of beautiful clothes, from lehengas to saris to kurta sets, made of gossamer fine fabric and in beautiful shades of pastel. It was very different from what I’d worn yesterday. These were the kind of clothes I liked to wear, only of a much higher quality. In fact, these were the kind of clothes I’d choose to wear if I had an unlimited budget.
“Oh, they are gorgeous,” I breathed.
“Thank you. And they will look even more gorgeous on you, Shivina. I know you don’t believe it, but you’re going to sell out my latest collection, trust me.”
“But I don’t look like a model at all,” I protested. This felt too much like charity to me. She was clearly doing Ranvijay a favour by clothing his wife.
“I have plenty of models. And while that kind of advertising has its place, we’re looking at a new way to reach people. The average Indian woman does not look like a fashion model. She looks like you. And she wants clothes that accentuate her best features, not clothes that look great on a stick-thin model but look awful on her. Shivina, you have the kind of curvy Indian body that looks divine in gauzy saris and lehengas. So when a woman who wants to look like that sees you in these clothes, she’s going to hit that buy button so fast it’ll send her credit card into shock.”
“I’m not sure about that, Rani Sa,” I began, but she frowned at me.
“Call me Diya, woman! We can’t keep Rani Sa-ing each other!”
With a laugh, I corrected myself.
“Sorry, Diya. But I’m still not sure this will work.”
“Leave all that to me, and come try on some clothes while my assistant drafts out a contract for you. I’ll have it sent across to RV’s team, and you can sign it if they approve. We’re always open for negotiation, so feel free to add whatever terms you like.”
She was moving too fast for my taste. Hell, life was moving too fast for my taste. In just a couple of days, I had gone from maid to Maharani, and now, I was going to be a model. Life didn’t work like that. At least, mine didn’t. But I guess life worked differently for people with privilege, and now, through an act of deception, I was privileged too. It was strange that I was being rewarded for my deception instead of being punished for it.
The studio was built on two levels. Downstairs was the reception, a waiting area and Diya’s office. The fitting rooms were upstairs, with a huge runway ramp in the centre of the space. A balcony ran the length of the top floor, giving us a clear view of whatever was going on downstairs.
As Diya and I were discussing a schedule for fittings and photo shoots, Isha called out from below.
“Hellooooo? Anyone home?”
“Come on upstairs, babe. Shivina and I were about to order some lunch,” called Diya, rubbing her back uncomfortably.
* ? Traditional Marwari song that I found on the Instagram account of Yuvragini Rathore, The Wise Stories Of Rajasthan .