Story: Drawn Together (Chapter 8)

Chapter-8 ( Ring of Hearts)

Radhika was in a kid’s work shop. It was a place where the kids get to know about the water colours, paints and canvases. She always would unwind here, away from the reality of her life. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The kids were ever charming, laughing, smiling and playing with the colours. She forgot herself in their eternal joyous zeal.

The youngest of them all was sitting in her lap, the kid was a one year old. He had tagged along with his seven year old sister. Attaching to her foot in a tight grip of arms. He wouldn’t let go even with his mother’s reprimands and dragging. The woman finally gave up trying. Radhika assured the woman that, she would look after him.

The woman already known to her through constant visits here, easily trusting her, she gave the kid’s necessitybag to her. Reminding her of all the things in it.Formula milk, warm water, diapers and everything.

Radhika had played with him before. Right now, he forgot his sister and got attached to her. He was all cute with dazzlingdimples and smiles. His smile was a toothless grin, that added in to the adorable. He was really smallbut he walked so fast. Here and there. Round and round in circle. The kid’s name was Zayn, he reminded Radhika of her nephew, little Rahul, of her elder sister’s Gayathri’s son. It was so long that Radhika met her. Oh, how shemissed them all. But Gayathri was in Bangalore, and quite busy being a housewife, and Radhika couldn’t meet her often.

Little Zaynnow pulled at her dress, he got her out of the trance, by tugging it down her shoulders, it was ahalf sleeved floral patterned one. A red floral dress, which reached up to her knees, leaving her legs bare. She had straightened her tresses in a smooth shiny lines, Radhika let it fall all around her shoulders in waves. It was a long time that she had pampered herself to a spa the day before and or dressed up today. But,now she did care about herself,as she felt her mood lift a little by seeing all the kids here with much enthusiasm.

There were lot of other volunteers like her, helping the kids with the colours and sketches. The hall vibrated with it. Her smiling eyes moved all along, moving and gliding, it fleeted past a black lean back figure by the wall. Her eyes moved forward uncaring.

Radhika’s eyes widened a little, seeing, spotting and recognising.As her heart went into an overdrive, her breath shortened, pulse thrummed, senses heightened to a notch, her gaze went back to the black suited man, leaning his back on the wall, his eyes observing her through all the distance of the little crowd.

It was five days, four nights, six hours, twenty five minutes and a whole of lot sixty seconds passed since she last saw him. Her hot skin and mind reflected immediately a picture as a graphic video of their kiss. Swirling a warmth on her skin already, and reminded her of the things what happened next after the kiss. The desperation she felt, it crazed her mind thinking about the things.

Right now, he moved away from the wall and sauntered forward. Towards her. The throng of little crowd moved away from his space giving him way to walk. Even thepeople around him melted away, that was something mystical about him.Always analluring pull.

Radhika was clutching Zayn so tight over his his waist that he startedsquirming and pulling at her hand. She looked down at his dark head and loosened her hold, and hurried up, putting him on her right hip.

Zayn stopped at his mumblings and stared at the approaching stranger in a fix of a gaze.

You too, Radhika thought. Allthree of their stares broke, his eyes on hers, hers on his and Zayn’s bewildered ones on his again, as his approach lead him to her.

She saw him step forward into her space and peerdown at her. Almost immediately Radhika’s nostrils flared taking in the very familiar woodsy cologne, his body heat travelling to hers and settling in a whisper of caress. His face an ever impassive, his jaw, asmooth edge,his eyes shielded her out, a wall being erected, he was all poker faced.

Radhika was finding it hard to figure him out.

That’s when he said something which made her head jerk back.

“We need to grab our rings.”He whispered down at her, his gaze sliding all over her face, and travelled to look at Zayn in her arms. It was only fleeting, as his gaze came back to hers in a settle.

Grab what? Rings, what what?!?

“What rings?”She asked confused, her both eyebrows raised up.

He tilted his head to the side.

“Our engagement rings.”He muttered down at her, a little amused.

A little gasp escaped her lips. Engagement rings? Their engagement rings. Her mind clutched onto the words in a possessive grip. God, he would give her the punch, wouldn’t he. No, hello. No,hi. No, how are you.No, enquiry about her well being. No, telling her that shelookednice. No, smile. No, endearing word. Just straight out went to cold hard business.
But what else could she expect from him.

His brows furrowed as his lips moved. He was saying something. Radhika shook her mind and came back to consciousness.

“What?”She asked stupidly.

He sighed down at her.

“We need to leave. Right now.”He muttered, annoyed.

“But..I…I can’t come.”She let out the words more dumbly.

His brows furrowed again.

“Why?”

Her mind trying to getout of this situation, put out frantic excuses.

“I’m not dressed appropriate to go out.”She mumbled out the first thing that came into her mind.

Well, that didn’t sound dumb at all, though a very wrongmove of words.

His gaze just as instantly moved down at her body, in a slow glide of a move. Sliding down at her legs, up her thighs, onto her waist and stopped at her chest. His eyes connected to hers, in a heated stare. Radhika put her weight on the other leg, settling Zayn more comfortably on her hip.

“You look just fine.”He said, his voice a deep husky.

“But I can’t come…”Radhikalooked down at Zayn and smiled at his brining face….”I’m baby sitting him.”She mumbled.

Her gaze again wentback to his, but her eyessharpened and frowned when she saw Arjun, her soon to be a fiancé stare at Zayn in distaste.

“You are coming with me. Right now.”He clipped, his gaze sharpening on Zayn again.

Radhika sighed heavily. Of course he would order her around. If she wouldn’t agree with him, a huge scene would he not create.

“Fine.”She fumed, and moved Zayn towards him from her arms…”Hold him a second.”She muttered annoyed….”I’ll grab his bag.”

Zayn, the little intelligent fellow already knowing that something was a connection between them, trustinglyspread his around Arjun, waiting for him hold him.

Radhika would have laughed at his comical frozen figure looking fixed at Zayn in a kinda of a horror but his muttered words took all the mirth out of her.

“What do I do with it?”He asked, looking bewildered.

Radhika’s anger rose up.

“Just hold him…”She thrust Zayn in his arms…”And his name is Zayn and not an ‘it’.”She muttered on fuming and turned around.

She walked to the table and grabbed his bag, and just as she turned around, her gaze froze on the two of them. Arjun was staring at Zayn in a stance, Zayn was looking back at him just as curious, in a wide eyed stare. Both of their thatched dark heads match. Dark eyebrows too matching. They cut an adorable figure. The kid now smiled his toothless grin, just then his form hardened and his jaw locked hard and ticked.

He looked around, spotted her, strode towards her and thrust back the kid in her arms.

“You are coming with me. With or with out it.”He muttered down at her in a warning.

His breath fell on her forehead. His eyes swirled again in a coffee coloured brew, as Radhika leaned into him and his nearness. It just became a habit, trying to feel him and his heat on her skin. He stepped back and walked off as he came.

*************

They were all sat in the back of Arjun’s limo. He was staring out of the window, but hisgaze travelled to settle on her figure time and again. He couldn’t help it, she looked that gorgeous in that figure hugging dress. Making him crave for her more. Her red luscious lips and her mascara filled eyes caught his eyes more and more. The damn kid now perched in her lap, he had earlier given Arjuna stare of a challenge. As if saying, ‘hurt her and I’ll hurt you with my little fist’. He shook his head, even a one year old is defending herand protectively spread hisarms on her body.

Arjun shook his head. She was a siren call to his body. Creating a spell around him to lose his tightly held control.

And why was she dressed up? His mind gnawed on a thought incessantly. For a boyfriend? His mind answered and questioned altogether untrustingly.

He would wipe out the person, if there was a one. His mind possessively whispered.

Arjun caught her stare. His gaze sharpened on her pursed lips and strained face. He f**king, didn’t like that look. Why couldn’t she smile at him the way she did when introducing the kid to him.

“Why do want to get married to me?”She asked, her tone all crisp and cold.

“Why shouldn’t I get married to you?”He drawled and asked in return, just as coldly.

“That’s not the answer I was looking for.”She said, her voice a sweet caress.

“That’s the only answer you’ll ever get.”

There was a silence. Accept the kid mumbling on, playing with a small fist sized teddy brownbear, hers arms his waist and her face all ice now looking at him.

“what’s this deal that you had with my father?”She tried yet again.

The little control he had lost on her five days ago,made her a little bold, moving her forward towards him. This was bad. Arjun wants her to stay far away from hislife. He wants an ocean between them. He needed to clip those wings that would take her to him fast.

“That’s something that doesn’t involve you.”He muttered, and looked out of the window again.

“Doesn’t involve me? Doesn’t involve me, my foot. Ithas everything to do with me. Everything. I’m a like a moving good between two dealers, being traded fromone to another between you and my father. A product sale is that’s what I’m. Swear to god, but this time I’m not cowering back. I’m not going to be pulled into adirty brutal business betweenyou all. I will never getting married to you….never.”She said fiercely, rollingonlike a fireball, with all her kittyclawssharpened.

Arjun let her get it out silently, but his senses sharpened when she muttered out the word ‘never’. Never getting married to him. His jaw locked hard. His eyes snapped to hers in a slow snap.

Her eyes were flashing. Her chest heaved up and down. She was rocking the playing kid in her arms in her let loose anger,looking all like a fierce mamma.

Arjun eyes became all leisure. His lips turned into a sneer as he leaned back. She hasn’t the point of brutal he would go to get the things done his way. She wants it. She will get get.

“Imagine your father being slandered in public if the dirty details of this deal he had signed out…which mightcome out in public…”He drawled, and glanced across at her passive face.

Hmm, not so much of a daddy’s girl are, are you? He observed.

“Well, you wouldn’t care about your reputation, no? But imagine your sisters too getinto the situation. What about poor them…”He taunted, and he saw more than feel her her back straightening up.

“What about them?”She asked cautiously, a little fear clouringher tone.

Arjun smiled an unseeing one.

Ah! Caught you by the hook, didn’t I.

“Imagine a false news spread. Of them being sold off just like you are. It would be a fake one but to the people, they believe everything that’s written in the tabloids. I’m afraidyour sisters would resort to killing themselves. With all of the utter humiliation faced, that’s the only possible solution for them, right? But, you wouldn’t care, do you? As everythinghas to do withonly selfishyou…”He sneered, each word dangerously, quite brutally.

He took the hurt scrunching up her features, as her hazel brown watered. But thrust it all aside. He didn’t care. He hardened his will against her.
“You are a black mailing blackguard. I hate you. So much.”She whispered, her voice wavering a little, as she gulped hard.

Arjun leaned back, smiling fully now. The light didn’t reach his eyes. His fingers itched to take her in his arms and soothe her ruffled feathers. He squelched them all.

“Glad that we’re on the same page.”He drawled, and leaned back.

Just then the kid started bawling. His face scrunched up as his face turned an angry red colour. The cries of his vibrated the whole of his limo. Probably the people on the other moving vehicles slowedin confusion of the sounds.

Radhika’s face leaned down over the kids head. She rocked him. She ‘U’ shaped he forefinger and put the back of it into the kid’s mouth. He immediately stopped crying and started suckling on it. Arjun looked on bewildered. She removed her finger and instantly started bawling again. The sounds of his crieswas giving him an ear bleed.

Arjun scowled fiercely, where did she find the damn kid?

“Aww, he is hungry. I’ll make his milk.”She cooed into his hair.

She slid up her cold stare and glared at him.

“Here, hold him.”She muttered cripsly, and thrust the kid into his unrelenting arms again.

She then, went on rummaging in the kid’s bag. She took out a Milton’shot water containing bottle.

Arjun gazed at the kid sternly. The kid wearing a red t-shirt and yellow shorts, blinked at him in a wide eyed stare, momentarily forgetting about the crying. Something in his face thekid didn’t like, as he started bawling more fiercely, beating his chubby hands on his face, and hitting his little legs on the chest,

“f**k! How much long on the milk?”He growled, scowling at her.

The kid was biting his ear off with all the crying.

Arjun glanced across at Radhika, she didn’t look anymore affected by the kids crying. She whipped her head up at his tone.

“Don’t curse infront of him.”She snapped at him, filling the warm water in the kid’s milk bottle.

His one dark left eyebrow raised at her disapproval tone.

“He is not evenmore thanone. He would hardly understand what I just said.”Arjun said flatly.

She didn’t answer but muttered on something under her breath in anger, now mixing the milk power. Six spoons exact. Shewent onleisurely shaking it, uncaring as the kid pulled at his hair making him almost bald.

This woman of his was making a hell of a delay when the kid was crying big round tears.

“Here.”He clipped, scowled, stowed and snatched the bottle unceremoniously from her hands. Her mouth hung opena little but he didn’t care.

He lay the kid on his legs.

He thrust the nip*le of the bottle in the mouth of the angry whiningkid. He immediately started sucking onto it. Complete silence befell. Oh, so peaceful it was, giving his bruised ears a little relief, when the kid sucked on the milk in a blissful tranquility. He was staring at him with those brown eyes in a gaze.

Arjun glanced across at Radhika, her gaze arrested in a surprise on him and the kid. He ignored the fascinated lookand looked down at the kid. The weight of his was good in his arms.

His fingers slid up into his hair pulling at his locks in frustration.His fingers forze. Ah, now his hands smell of the f**king formula milk, his mind growled out.

******************

Radhika along with Arjun andnow littlesleeping Zayn in hers arms, all of the three entered into the shop into a pishposh looking jewelry store. Radhika stared up wide eyed at the large golden chandeliers, each gracing an aisle. The store was surrounded, wall decoratedwith just came out jewels.

Gold. Silver. Planitnum. And all kinds of pieces. Necklaces. Ear hangings.

“I’ll be right back.”He whispered to her, turned around and left.

Radhika stared at his disappearing back.

Weren’t they selecting the rings together? She frowned and sighed still looking his way.

She turned when a tall grinning middle aged man lead her to a counter.

“Are you looking for anniversary jewelry, mam? If so we have a whole lot of new set on the bling…”He went on happily in a chatty mood, and putting boxes and boxes of set on the counter.

All containing, heavy necklaces.

Radhika stared surprised and completely out of depth here.

Anniversary jewellery? What? Her confusedgaze slid on the sleeping Zayn in her arms. Oh, he thinks they were married for about a year.

“Oh, we aren’t even married yet.”She smiled and looked up.

The man’s frowning gaze fell on Zayn.

“He is not our kid. I’m baby sitting him…though I want him to be my kid…”She babbled on at the now bewildered looking blue suited man.

“Just show us the engagement rings. Simple ones.”She breathed flushed to the roots of her hair.

“Certainly, mam.”He agreed on right away, and went walking.

Radhika sighed. God, how embarrassing. This was all bizzare. Her selecting rings of her engagement whenonly days ago, she was smiling about her freedom.

The man came back, bringing along three velvet boxes. He put them on the crystal clear glass counter. Many rings brightened up at her face. Sparkling. Shining. Gleaming into her eyes.

Radhika stared at the rings. A minute passed. Her eyes watered. What dreams did she knit. Of how she would find a perfect person. A man who would understand her.A person she would understand him about.Of having a cheesy dreamy proposal. All this now, the rings and her situation mocked and sneered up at her, reminding her of the cold hard business going on in her life.

***************

Arjun was over the phone, he had to take an urgent business call, his other hand in his pant pocket stared around, but his gaze stopped, as he looked inside from outside the swinging door of the store.

His gaze stayed locked on her figure. The porcelain skin of her shinned out. Her hair so long slid around in waves. The beautiful body of her curved in that skin tight dress called on to his senses. Her arms holding the kid brought a picture to his mind. Animage of thefuture. Her being heavily pregnant, carrying hischild and later in her arms, just like she holding the kid, smiling up at him endearingly.The calming and heady scent of the roses staying back forever with him. The picture was so vivid that he reeled back with the affect of it. Arjun shook his head, getting off the imprint of it, wiping out from hismind. Impossible.

************

Radhika was lookingdown at the rings in confusion, but she jumped as an arm slid around her waist, pulling her back into a hard warmth. He put his head on shoulder and sighed. His body attaching to hers from behind as his arms circled her waist, as she held Zayn up in her arms.

His breath falling on her neck warm and hot. It affected her senses and crazed up her hormones.

“Did you select any?”He whispered into her ear, his breath cool on heated cheeks. His minty breath spreading all over her skin.

“I…I….I’m confused.”She stuttered looking down at the large box, and at an ending row of rings.

“Hmm, let me see.”His voice rumbled on her back.

He slid his hand on the counter from around her waist totally locking her up.

He took out a ruby ring. It was a very beautiful one. A flower pattern. A large cut rectangular ruby in the centre, surrounded by small petal shaped little rubies. Encased in a platinum band. It was like a red tear drop, from a crimson ocean. It was not so grant but beautiful and elegant nonetheless.It was surprising, Radhika’s choice was the same. She was surprisedmore,that he didn’t go for more pompous and garishly heavy jewelry, showing off his ample spread out wealth in an arrogant display. It was thoughtful. Like he was really thinking about her and her choice. Her heart melted a little of thefrozen barrier a little.

With wild beating of her heart, she saw remove her left hand from holding Zayn. She caught him in another arm. Arjun spread her hand, and slid the ring in the last second finger. It sit on her finger, like belonged there all the time. The vein of the finger, connecting to her heart, skipped a beat a little, stuttering it in a repeat. Allthe senses then settled recognising the ring as an old friend. It was deeply unsettling, as a new beat startedthudding her heart. All new and reformed.

“Rubies suit your skin.”He whispered again, a little smile playing in his voice.

Radhika stared up his face. She blinked. He looking down, caressing her finger with his.

“I…I..I chose yours too.”She hesitated, but muttered out strongly, gulping hard.

His body strung out alertat that. His eyes snapped to hers. His jaw set hard, as his eyes slid to hers in a snap. There wasn’t any shield now, as they were burning into her eyes deeply. Hiseyes swirling depths.

“You chose mine?”He whispered asked, huskily.

Radhika nodded her head and stared up at his face fascinated by the change of expression.

“Before selecting yours?”He asked, his voice turning into a deep hoarse.

She gulped, nodding dumbly again.

He stared down at her.

“God,damned, sweet as hell.”He muttered, his face all vulnerable.
“What?”She whispered, staring at his bottomless depths of brown eyes.

“Show me.”He whispered fiercely, his arms tightening on her waist.

Radhika blinked and looked down, shaken by what she saw. Her hand shook.

“It’s nothing spectacular. Just a simple platinum band. Not like the heavy one you chose me. I don’t know what you choice is….”She mumbled on insane.

Completely flustered and more out of depth, she took out a ring from a velvet pouch. Arjun snatched it from herhands and observed it closely for a breathlessly second.

“It’s f**king fantastic.”He whispered down at her with feeling,his body vibrated with it.

“Put it on me.”He said, his voice a deep husky and still hoarse.

Radhika took the ring. With a little shake in her hands, she slid ring on the left hand side of the finger. Spectacularly, it slid down into his finger just as amazingly. Her fingers moved away a little, but he grabbed her left hand and entwined his fingers with hers. Hers pale and puny. His hand large and manly. Both of their new rings gleamed and shinedout a sheen and shooter an array of sparkle. Radhika blinked down awestruck. For the first time in days, a slow smile creepedon her lips. Her back now leaned back into his arms.

*************

After the ring selection, Arjun had dragged Radhika to the top floor. A small boutique of sorts. It wasn’t necessary shopping for clothes, but he was ever persistent. Her arms had tired out carrying Zayn, so he took him in his arms.

As it was, Zayn comfortably slept on Arjuna’s shoulder. His small figure looked so puny in Arjun’s huge bear paw like hand. Radhika fought a smile, as she observed how adorable they cut a figure. If she said that to the brooding man, he would distasteful wash off his arms of the kid.

Arjun took out a red, tiny sleeveless dress from a hangerand flung it at her face.

“Try this on.”He clipped, arrogantly, his face all flat looking.

What the hell? Does she look like a tramp to him?

“Brute”, she mumbled under her breath.

“I’m not trying it on. Never. As in ever.”She scowled andcried out.

Radhika removed it from her face and threw it aside on the counter in disgust.

His gaze narrowed at her mouth. His stance got straight.

Uh oh, remind her to never utter the word ‘Never’ from her mouth. A note to self for the future, as he seemed to dislike the word quite too much.

He walked towards an hovering sales lady. He slid Zayn into her arms.

“Hold him a while. Don’t stray away from here.”He warned her.

The elderly lady onlysmiled at his patronising tone and Radhika eyes rolled at his rude behaviour. He would order around everyone wouldn’t he. Seriously what’s up with the attitude.

He turned around and marched towards her. He grabbed the dress,caught hold of her arm and lead her to the changing room. He thrust the dress in her hands.

“Go change and come out. I want to see it on you.”He whispered down at her, his eyes burning.

Geez,he was serious. Radhika glared at him. At hisimpossible nature and got into the room very very reluctantly.

She slid out of the floral dress, and got into the sleazy dress, muttering under her breath lots of words. The dress came up to her chest, but she couldn’t reach the zipper of it on her back. Minuted passed many, as she tried hard to zip it up. She panted quite heavilynow.

Ugh! Stupid Arjun for throwing her in this mess of a dress.

“How long is it going to take?”An impatient growl, travelled into the room from outside.

Radhika sighed. Dear, lord, help me in getting rid of this impossible man.

“I can’t reach the zipper of the dress.”She yelled finally, giving up, all her hair fell over her face in a mess.

Just as immediately she said it, the door burst open and a gasp escaped her lips, whipping her around, clutching the dress tightlyto her boss*m.

She didn’t bolt the door!

“Hey! What are you doing here? Get out!”Radhika cried out.

His body froze in a lock, as his stare slid from down of her bare feet, to her legs, bare things, her waist and then settled disturbingly long time on her chest.

His gaze slid back to hers in an instant jerk of head. She gulped looking at his now warming desire filled stare.

He walked towards her, slowly.

He stood before her now, towering over her. Looking down at her. All over her. His body got more closer. Not possibly an of space. Radhika stared up at him with a heaving chest. Her hands clutching tightly the dress. Her back exposed all over.

“Turn around.”He whispered.

His voice reached out her into her blood. Simmering its flow in a slow unfurling heat.

“No.”She whispered, shaking all over.

His eyes flashed at that. His jaw ticked, he caught her arms and turned her around.

His front attached to her back again. The rough cloth of his suit rubbed on a bare skin. He caught hold of the zipper, all the while his eyes connected to hers looking on deeply into her eyes.

His hand stopped pulling up the zipper.His stare now another level of intense, Radhika’s now affected gaze now pulled deep into his eyes.

His arms now slid around her chest, catching her hands in a hold. She gasped out feeling his fingers on the skin, raising goosebumps on her skin. He planted a warm kiss on her bare shoulder.

“Let go of your hands.”He whispered, his mouth opened now on her skin.

His voice a deep seductive husky.

“No.”Radhika breathed out, feeling sensitive sensations course through her body.Playing havoc all over.

With widening of eyes, she saw his tongue come and lick on her bare shoulder.

“Let go of your hands.”He said huskily again, his eyes wild caught hers in the mirror.

“Oh, god no.”She moaned, as he planted open mouth wet kisses along her shoulder, and travelling a trail of a mess up to her neck.

Her arms automatically fell down to the sides. His large hands caught her sagging dress tight on her chest. She whimpered feeling his hands their. On top of her bosom. But, he didn’tanything as he just held the dress. Her legs turned jelly but he caught more tight to his back. Her eyes closed shut tight.

“Open your eyes.”He growled, into the skin of her neck.

Her flew open as his face, as she saw his dark head hurried deep into her neck. Her breath came out as pants, as his hot rough tongue rolled on the skin under her ear. Her sensitive area. She didn’t know, she had one, until now.

A desperate warmth spread low into her body. She was going to lose it.

“Please, stop it.”She moaned, and tried to move away, but he caught her more tighter.
He kissed a trail again.

“No.”He gruntedout a word, his gruff voice vibrating intoher back.

“Please.”She whispered, now resorting to begging, as his fingers now caressed on her skinwhere he held the dress.

“Say that you’ll marry me.”He growled once again, his eyes feral on her wild ones.

“No,”She whispered out a determined word somehow.

His eyes turned brutal. His teeth now nipped and bit into her flesh. An immense pleasured pain coursed through her blood. Thundering hermind and heart.

“Radhika, f**king, say that you will marry me.”He growled more fiercer than before, coercing her to bend to his will.

He lead a brutal trial, kissing,liking, biting into her skin of her neck more deeply now.

His thumbs now rubbing on her skin. A red haze entered into her eyes, threatening to wipeout herexistence completely as he caught her ear shell between his lips and nipped it hard.

“Oh, god, yes, I’ll marry you!”She cried out or more than it, she yelled.

As instantly, his hold on her chest loosened, and his face burrowed deep into her hair. Taking in alongsniff. Both of their breaths travelled into their ears as hard pants, andas well asin the air. Minutes passed, as the air warmed up too. Her chest heaved up and down for a long time.

Her hands came up to hold the dress, when his arms slid away from around her completely. He stepped back and she turned around, her eyes still very very dazed. He was nonetheless less affected. His chest too still heaved as his breath shortened.

He grinned a second later. Radhika’s melted out mind grabbed to it and pushed it back as memory. Her mouth opened a little looking at it.
It wasn’t a sneery smile. Nor a slow one. Nor a half smile. Nor a take one, but it was a full on big boyish grin. It was very real. As the smile light up his eyes and the endearinglaughter lines around his eyes appeared out of now where.

He leaned down, and kissed a hard one on her lips. All warm. Then his lips moved up and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. His arms slid around her back, pulling her into his arms.

Then, he let go, and moved away, her mind a wiped one, with blinking eyes she looked up at him.

“Change into the floral one and come out. I will be waiting outside.”He said, his voice still gruff, and affected.
He turned and walked off,but not before he flung the final words over his shoulder. His voice,a more low seductive husky.

“And hurry up, I can’tpromise if something else more will happen in this room, but I’m sure it will,if you don’t get out fast.”

Radhika shook her head staring at the empty space. She turned around and gasped looking at the mirror.

Her hand slid onto her neck. A deep crimsontear appeared on her pale skin. All red in its glory.

A hickey!

The devil marked her. As his. It was a big one. As a deep anger rose from stomach and travelled up her neck in a haze of a temper, blood pooling into her cheeks and reddening her face and eyes. She let out a bout full of chaste curses, that vibrated around the room for quite while………

**********

Credit to: kfar