19-01-2022, 04:41 PM
(This post was last modified: 19-01-2022, 04:43 PM by Blue Bull. Edited 1 time in total. Edited 1 time in total.)
"And...I thought, yeah...perhaps...she was right. After all I had hurt Shalini, she was not wrong in being angry. Years passed by and I learned to live with my loneliness. I used to send gifts to Priya on her birthday each year. But I learned much later that Shalini never gave them to her. I used to live with the hope that one day my daughter will grow up, and then maybe someday I could meet her, and tell her how much she means to me. But 5 years after Shalini left me, my world shattered when I came to know that Priya was dying. She was suffering from leukaemia. Her condition was at an advanced stage and hence not treatable. She had only few days of her life left. I was angry that I was not informed about it. I rushed to Shalini's house, and that bitch refused to let me enter. I pushed her aside and headed straight to Priya's room. I saw my little angel lying on the bed, all pale and weak. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't show her my tears.
I was seeing her after many years, I was so overwhelmed. But she wasn't happy to see me.
She looked at me angrily and asked, "What are you doing here?"
I said, "I just came to meet you. How are you sweetheart?"
"I am better without you" she said, "Please go away."
I was shocked to hear that. "Why are you talking like that?" I asked her, "I just came to meet you and brought you your favourite chocolates."
"I don't need anything from." She said coldly, "You are very cruel. I know how you treated mom, and you would have treated me the same way had mom not taken me away."
My heart shattered within me that moment. How did Priya get all those 'ideas' about me? It wasn't possible without Shalini feeding that nonsense into her head. I was extremely angry and I stormed out of the room to find Shalini in the next room. I slapped her hard. "You bitch! Why did you poison her heart against me? She is just a child! I know I have never hurt her, I never can. I have loved her more than my life. She means everything to me! I can never forgive you for this!" I shouted at her. I was so angry, I wanted to kill her that instant. I pushed her hard and she fell down.
But I didn't know that Priya had just entered the room. She saw what I just did to my wife. She got a reason to believe her mother; I've never been more ashamed of myself. I apologised to both of them, I tried to make Priya understand. I wanted to hug her but she pushed me and ran towards her mother. While she ran she hit against a table and a photo frame that had her picture broke. I picked it up and held it close to my heart.
Priya shouted at me in anger, "Stop pretending that you care about me! Stop pretending that you are even a human being! Look what you did to mom! You are a devil, you always were, you always will be, and I can never love you. No one will ever love you." These were the last words my princess said to me."
For the first time, Pankhudi saw a tear in his eyes. She suddenly remembered how violently he had reacted, and had whipped her till she fell unconscious when she had said something similar to him.
"Is Priya the girl in that picture?" she asked.
"Yes, I left the house taking her picture with me. I didn't fix the broken frame. I just left it that way in my room to remind myself how much my angel hates me!" he said bitterly.
Pankhudi could feel his pain. She was running her hand lovingly over his back, trying to make him feel better.
"She died soon after that. She died with all that hatred and bitterness in her heart about me. And I could do nothing about it. Shalini died soon after than in an accident. Good for her, I would have killed her in a far more brutal way" he said as his emotions were showing up in his eyes. "I was never informed about Priya's or Shalini's death. I found out much later. And I have been living a miserable life ever since. I have no reason to live for other than taking out my anger and frustration on helpless people."
He hugged Pankhudi tightly and said, "The last time you hugged me, for the first time in many days I felt really peaceful. I came back to you, just to hug you again. I know this won't really change anything, neither will it justify my actions. But I just wanted to feel calm for a while...I miss that brief time in my life, when I was happy...when I had a family. Now I don't...now I have no one...or perhaps I have you..."
He paused for a while. His heart was heavy, and he was drowning in sorrow.
"Today is Priya's birthday...I used to bring her all she wanted, new toys, chocolates, teddy bears...My little angel she was, my princess, I loved her so much...perhaps the only girl in my life I ever loved so much, but she hated me. I lost her so bitterly, now she's gone forever. I miss my family Pankh, I miss my daughter. I didn't want to be so bad, I just wanted to love my daughter..."
He hugged her even tighter and took a deep breath and continued, "You are a wonderful person. Your eyes remind me of Priya. There is so much love and innocence in your eyes."
He began to shower Pankhudi with kisses. Pankhudi didn't resist. She caressed him with love as he kissed her.
"Let me hold you in my arms for a while precious" he said with intense anguish in his voice, "I'll go away after some time."
Armaan held her in his arms for a while lying quietly with his eyes closed. Suddenly the wind roared through the window, and flung it open. The candle was extinguished, and it was suddenly very dark again. It was still raining heavily outside. The sudden darkness woke them up from the trance they were in.
"There is something strangely familiar about this darkness, isn't it?" he said still holding her.
Pankhudi got up and closed the window. She was looking for a match to light the candle again.
"Let it be" he said, "I am more comfortable in the dark."
She put the match away and sat down on the bed next to him in the dark. He too sat up on the bed. Soon their eyes were acclimatized to the darkness. She was looking at Armaan but suddenly looked away when he turned his gaze towards her.
"What is it?" he asked holding her hand.
"I wanted to ask...I did I ever hurt you...I mean by mistake...unknowingly...I mean...were you angry...that...when you hurt me..." she said. She could barely put her words in a proper sentence.
Armaan was listening with his brow furrowed in concentration as he was trying to grasp the meaning of her broken sentence. When he understood what she was asking, he smiled at her innocence.
"Are you really that naive, cupcake?" he said tugging her hand, "Come here, we'll talk."
He made her sit on his lap. She was nervous, but he hugged her.
"Calm down, sweetheart" he said running his fingers through her hair, "Don't be afraid. I am not going to hurt you."
Pankhudi relaxed a bit. He continued stroking her hair and back as he spoke, "I have lost everything that was dear to me, so...there is nothing I am afraid of losing now. Don't get any wrong ideas about me being your vanilla lover boy. I am still the same Pankh, the sick sadistic bastard that you know."
"I have destroyed more lives that you know" he said, "Simply because I can."
Pankhudi was listening and was feeling afraid, but she wanted her answers.
"I usually pick up sluts from nightclubs, bars and such places. Not only are they used to getting fucked in every possible way, but also they are worthless bitches who drool over rich men. And I really like to show them their place. Besides since they have already sold their self esteem, it gets much easier to make them take everything I want them to take."
"But you were different. When I first saw you, I was mesmerized by your sublime beauty. The shyness on your face told me that you haven't been touched by a man before. I can tell whether a girl will submit or not, and how easily by looking at her face. I knew you were of a submissive nature the moment I saw you, but I also knew I couldn't entice you with money. You may be poor and vulnerable, but you are not a whore, definitely not. I helped you with money at the time of your need but that doesn't make you my whore. I never thought of you like that. I know you were a woman of high self esteem. I had to think of another way to break you, to make you submit."
Pankhudi was listening nervously to his side of the story.
"I hadn't had a virgin in years, so my lust for you was much stronger. I found out about you, I realized that you were quite lonely and vulnerable. I realized you are just perfect for what I had in my mind. I have a many 'like-minded' friends, if you know what I mean. Besides, I have a lot of people working for me. Money can buy more things than you know. Soon enough I had all the information about you that I needed."
"Then was the time for action. I have been stalking you since long before I made my presence felt." He chuckled and continued, "It may give you the impression that I am a street thug or something, but I am not. I run a business and I have a respectable position in the society. Of course the society doesn't have any idea about my 'hobbies'. I used to disguise myself well when I was wandering these streets while stalking you. Besides I was not always rich so I am quite acquainted with various survival skills and the lifestyle of almost every level of society."
Pankhudi began to tremble in his arms. He hugged her tightly to ease her fears. When she seemed to calm down a bit, he continued.
"So I was after you with my camera, clicking at every possible opportunity. I've got some hi-tech lenses, which have a great zoom power, so I could click from very far, yet the pictures would look like close-up shots. All the stuff I had to do near your house, I did it before alerting you. This apartment, as you know, is not in a very developed locality, so there aren't really any security guards around - that made my work easier. I didn't really know about your childhood abuse history until one day I saw through this window while you were cutting yourself as you drowned yourself in tears. Only an emotionally disturbed person can do such a thing, so I understood the possibility of you having suffered something painful in the past. Knowing this fact, I was all the more sure that I have chosen the right girl. Earlier I used to be around this house only watching you, soon I began to bring my camera along. I still remember that day when I got to click those delicious nudes of you, my determination to have you got much stronger that day, so did the possibility. And the night you did your little thieving got you deep into my trap." He continued.
Pankhudi's face now had the expression of guilt for that night when she walked away and didn't save the life of that woman when she could.
"Well let me ease your conscience sweetheart. That woman very much deserved her fate, and it was a good thing that you didn't save her. My sources told me that she had mercilessly burned her daughter-in-law alive for dowry about 7 years ago, and security officer had closed the case stating it to be an accident. It was the victim's brother who had hired a few men to kill her, deliberately after several years so that he wouldn't be the prime suspect. And since there was a considerable gap between the two events and since you stole her jewellery, the case became all the more misleading, and the security officer couldn't trace the culprit."
Pankhudi was both astonished as well as relieved to know the facts.
"Fear of the unknown is one of the worst human fears, and that is exactly what I exploited in your case. You were afraid of me because you didn't know who I was or what I wanted. You couldn't even predict my next move. Then the phone calls, sending you pictures, all that started. When you stopped taking my calls, I knew exactly how to punish you and waited for the right opportunity. I had to do the job myself because not everyone is comfortable handling scorpions. I put a nasty one in your purse when you left it unattended at the party for a while. The little fellow was pretty annoyed after being put in there, it was difficult for it to even breathe, it stung you at the first opportunity. Then I thought I might pay you a little visit at your office. I had to pay 2000 rupees to the guy who controls the power of the elevator to switch of the power for a few minutes. I am glad he was precise about the timing, I paid him a little extra after the work was done, because I was so happy after having a good feel of you for the first time. That was far more than what I would have paid a girl just to feel her, but in your case it was a fair bargain because I knew you had a strong character and high moral values and your body was never for sale. That and another meeting with you while you were returning home from college and you got pretty freaked out."
"I knew Nisha would interfere. I sent one of my men after her to gather all information about her. My man placed the note in her college locker, but I knew she was more strong willed and she needed a greater jolt to make her back out. So I decided to demonstrate what I am capable of. Not throwing acid at her was more in my interest than hers. I didn't want security officer to get involved in this, besides, fear of something bad is actually worse than the thing itself. My objective was achieved, Nisha got frightened, and you my darling were concerned enough to send her away so that she doesn't get hurt and I could have you all by myself." He kissed her cheek as he said that.
"I continued to monitor Nisha's activities; I wanted to make sure she wasn't trying to act too smart. I found out about her new location, and at the same time hired a small time thief to get me the key to this house from her purse without creating much fuss. And once I had they key, there was nothing that could stop me from having you."
Pankhudi began to cry as all the events were flashing across her mind.
"I could have blackmailed you easily, but where's the fun in that?" he said, "I am a tyrannical sadist, I methodically use violence to terrorize and intimidate my victims. I enjoyed every moment of mental anguish I put you through, and it was perfectly delicious to watch you slowly break and submit."
"Even when I brought you to my place," he continued, "Well, everything was ultimately under my control. I knew Roy was onto you since he saw you. I wanted to see what you both do in my absence, so I told him I was going away for a few days. He fell for it because I have left girls at his mercy in the past. Although this time the instructions were clear, he was asked to stay away from you, but he disobeyed and had to be punished. I would have perhaps labelled you as a slut had you not resisted Roy the other day. I would have punished you instead of him in that case, by allowing all my men to bang you. I would have used you till...well, I changed my mind."
Pankhudi started crying bitterly. He held her close and kissed her forehead.
"Oh don't you cry sweetheart, it's ok now." He said softly as he hugged her tightly, "The big bad stalker won't hurt you anymore."
"I am so ashamed of myself," Pankhudi spoke amongst her sobs, "I am ashamed of myself for behaving like a slut in front of you, for getting aroused by everything you did to me! I was liking it, I was responding, even though it was hurting me, even though it was shameful. I am so ashamed of being so weak! So vulnerable!"
"No Pankhudi you are not weak, neither are you a slut." he replied holding her chin and making her look straight at him, "Don't ever think of yourself that way. In fact, it was a weakness on my part to exploit your vulnerability. I deliberately chose you knowing your weak background, knowing that you were not in a position to resist much. All that I did to you, was to break you, to make you submit to my desires, it was all a part of my dark seduction. You gave in to the desires of your mind and body which is pretty natural. You were so innocent that you didn't even realize that you were being emotionally manipulated into submission. I have dealt with all kinds of girls, and you are the purest angel I've ever met."
He kissed her lips passionately. Then he hugged her and she rested her head on his shoulders.
"You are a very strong girl Pankh, to face the world alone. An unsheltered little angel flying all by herself in the storm. A lot of things weigh you down, but you still keep going., because you love your family. Your family loves too, they are so proud of you. I wish I had such a loving family, I wish I was worth such a loving family. I know much about you, I know how much you have to go through every single day of your life, how many lustful advances from nasty men you are forced to handle. I also know how deeply you crave to have a loving man in your life who would protect you from this bad bad world. I am unfortunately not that man, I can't promise you my faith, but I will be there for you when you need me. I will watch over you, I won't let anything happen to you. I will be your friend, your guardian and your guide, for as long as you need. I can do that much for you, in return of what I have taken from you and for the kindness you showed me tonight..."
Pankhudi hugged him tight as she cried on his shoulder.
"It's alright precious" he said caressing her back, "And let me tell you another thing, be proud of who you are, be proud of your sexuality and your dark desires. You didn't wake up one morning and decide that you want to hurt yourself nor did I become a sadist overnight. We have been through something very painful. Different people adapt differently to similar situations, a lot regarding the final outcome depends on their inborn personality and circumstances. We all have our reasons to feel the way we do, and only we know it, some of us talk about it, some don't but that doesn't change the facts."
Pankhudi was still crying and he was gently stroking her back, running his fingers through her hair to help her calm down. He held her in his arms for a long time. Pankhudi was lying against his bare chest with her eyes closed, feeling warm and safe in his embrace.
The power was still not restored, it was still dark, but it had stopped raining. Armaan looked at the screen of his mobile phone, it showed the time 4.00 am.
"I better leave now, I have a meeting this morning" he said as he kissed Pankhudi's forehead.
"It is still dark...please stay for some more time" she said touching his face lovingly.
"I wish I could sweetheart...but I must go" he said as he helped Pankhudi get off his lap. She lit the candle and the flickering golden light filled the room again.
He put on his clothes and opened his wallet. He gave her his business card and kissed her one last time.
"Thanks for everything cupcake...Call me if you need anything" he said with a smile.
Pankhudi was inquisitively trying to read the card in the light of the candle. It had his complete name, the name of his company and his contact number. All this information was very new to her, there was a curious smile on her face.
"One more thing" he said as he stood near the door, "I still have the evidence which is not good for your health, so you are not going to try anything funny, are you?"
Pankhudi was taken aback by the sudden change in his tone of speech and attitude. She quickly shook her head in negation.
"Better" he said in a dominant tone again, "I am your friend only as long as your feet stay on the ground. If you start getting any ideas about flying, trust me you are not going to like the consequences. This is not an idle threat."
Armaan gave a surprisingly warm smile after his cold threat, and left closing the door behind him.
Pankhudi was sitting on the bed holding his card in his hand. He had answered many questions for her. He had set her free, just like she had been once craving for. He promised to be her friend and he promised he was not going to hurt her anymore. But she still had so many questions on her mind. Why she felt so much attached to Armaan? Is it because he was the first man in her life? Why, in spite of his cruelty, she found her mind, body and soul craving for him? What did Armaan really think about her? Does he love her? If he doesn't then why did he come to her in such a frightening rainy night when he was sad? Why did he share his grief with her? He said he feels calm around her, he came to her just to hold her for a while, he came to her when he was missing his family...what could all this mean?
Now that he was her friend, Pankhudi hoped that with time she will find her answers.....
I was seeing her after many years, I was so overwhelmed. But she wasn't happy to see me.
She looked at me angrily and asked, "What are you doing here?"
I said, "I just came to meet you. How are you sweetheart?"
"I am better without you" she said, "Please go away."
I was shocked to hear that. "Why are you talking like that?" I asked her, "I just came to meet you and brought you your favourite chocolates."
"I don't need anything from." She said coldly, "You are very cruel. I know how you treated mom, and you would have treated me the same way had mom not taken me away."
My heart shattered within me that moment. How did Priya get all those 'ideas' about me? It wasn't possible without Shalini feeding that nonsense into her head. I was extremely angry and I stormed out of the room to find Shalini in the next room. I slapped her hard. "You bitch! Why did you poison her heart against me? She is just a child! I know I have never hurt her, I never can. I have loved her more than my life. She means everything to me! I can never forgive you for this!" I shouted at her. I was so angry, I wanted to kill her that instant. I pushed her hard and she fell down.
But I didn't know that Priya had just entered the room. She saw what I just did to my wife. She got a reason to believe her mother; I've never been more ashamed of myself. I apologised to both of them, I tried to make Priya understand. I wanted to hug her but she pushed me and ran towards her mother. While she ran she hit against a table and a photo frame that had her picture broke. I picked it up and held it close to my heart.
Priya shouted at me in anger, "Stop pretending that you care about me! Stop pretending that you are even a human being! Look what you did to mom! You are a devil, you always were, you always will be, and I can never love you. No one will ever love you." These were the last words my princess said to me."
For the first time, Pankhudi saw a tear in his eyes. She suddenly remembered how violently he had reacted, and had whipped her till she fell unconscious when she had said something similar to him.
"Is Priya the girl in that picture?" she asked.
"Yes, I left the house taking her picture with me. I didn't fix the broken frame. I just left it that way in my room to remind myself how much my angel hates me!" he said bitterly.
Pankhudi could feel his pain. She was running her hand lovingly over his back, trying to make him feel better.
"She died soon after that. She died with all that hatred and bitterness in her heart about me. And I could do nothing about it. Shalini died soon after than in an accident. Good for her, I would have killed her in a far more brutal way" he said as his emotions were showing up in his eyes. "I was never informed about Priya's or Shalini's death. I found out much later. And I have been living a miserable life ever since. I have no reason to live for other than taking out my anger and frustration on helpless people."
He hugged Pankhudi tightly and said, "The last time you hugged me, for the first time in many days I felt really peaceful. I came back to you, just to hug you again. I know this won't really change anything, neither will it justify my actions. But I just wanted to feel calm for a while...I miss that brief time in my life, when I was happy...when I had a family. Now I don't...now I have no one...or perhaps I have you..."
He paused for a while. His heart was heavy, and he was drowning in sorrow.
"Today is Priya's birthday...I used to bring her all she wanted, new toys, chocolates, teddy bears...My little angel she was, my princess, I loved her so much...perhaps the only girl in my life I ever loved so much, but she hated me. I lost her so bitterly, now she's gone forever. I miss my family Pankh, I miss my daughter. I didn't want to be so bad, I just wanted to love my daughter..."
He hugged her even tighter and took a deep breath and continued, "You are a wonderful person. Your eyes remind me of Priya. There is so much love and innocence in your eyes."
He began to shower Pankhudi with kisses. Pankhudi didn't resist. She caressed him with love as he kissed her.
"Let me hold you in my arms for a while precious" he said with intense anguish in his voice, "I'll go away after some time."
Armaan held her in his arms for a while lying quietly with his eyes closed. Suddenly the wind roared through the window, and flung it open. The candle was extinguished, and it was suddenly very dark again. It was still raining heavily outside. The sudden darkness woke them up from the trance they were in.
"There is something strangely familiar about this darkness, isn't it?" he said still holding her.
Pankhudi got up and closed the window. She was looking for a match to light the candle again.
"Let it be" he said, "I am more comfortable in the dark."
She put the match away and sat down on the bed next to him in the dark. He too sat up on the bed. Soon their eyes were acclimatized to the darkness. She was looking at Armaan but suddenly looked away when he turned his gaze towards her.
"What is it?" he asked holding her hand.
"I wanted to ask...I did I ever hurt you...I mean by mistake...unknowingly...I mean...were you angry...that...when you hurt me..." she said. She could barely put her words in a proper sentence.
Armaan was listening with his brow furrowed in concentration as he was trying to grasp the meaning of her broken sentence. When he understood what she was asking, he smiled at her innocence.
"Are you really that naive, cupcake?" he said tugging her hand, "Come here, we'll talk."
He made her sit on his lap. She was nervous, but he hugged her.
"Calm down, sweetheart" he said running his fingers through her hair, "Don't be afraid. I am not going to hurt you."
Pankhudi relaxed a bit. He continued stroking her hair and back as he spoke, "I have lost everything that was dear to me, so...there is nothing I am afraid of losing now. Don't get any wrong ideas about me being your vanilla lover boy. I am still the same Pankh, the sick sadistic bastard that you know."
"I have destroyed more lives that you know" he said, "Simply because I can."
Pankhudi was listening and was feeling afraid, but she wanted her answers.
"I usually pick up sluts from nightclubs, bars and such places. Not only are they used to getting fucked in every possible way, but also they are worthless bitches who drool over rich men. And I really like to show them their place. Besides since they have already sold their self esteem, it gets much easier to make them take everything I want them to take."
"But you were different. When I first saw you, I was mesmerized by your sublime beauty. The shyness on your face told me that you haven't been touched by a man before. I can tell whether a girl will submit or not, and how easily by looking at her face. I knew you were of a submissive nature the moment I saw you, but I also knew I couldn't entice you with money. You may be poor and vulnerable, but you are not a whore, definitely not. I helped you with money at the time of your need but that doesn't make you my whore. I never thought of you like that. I know you were a woman of high self esteem. I had to think of another way to break you, to make you submit."
Pankhudi was listening nervously to his side of the story.
"I hadn't had a virgin in years, so my lust for you was much stronger. I found out about you, I realized that you were quite lonely and vulnerable. I realized you are just perfect for what I had in my mind. I have a many 'like-minded' friends, if you know what I mean. Besides, I have a lot of people working for me. Money can buy more things than you know. Soon enough I had all the information about you that I needed."
"Then was the time for action. I have been stalking you since long before I made my presence felt." He chuckled and continued, "It may give you the impression that I am a street thug or something, but I am not. I run a business and I have a respectable position in the society. Of course the society doesn't have any idea about my 'hobbies'. I used to disguise myself well when I was wandering these streets while stalking you. Besides I was not always rich so I am quite acquainted with various survival skills and the lifestyle of almost every level of society."
Pankhudi began to tremble in his arms. He hugged her tightly to ease her fears. When she seemed to calm down a bit, he continued.
"So I was after you with my camera, clicking at every possible opportunity. I've got some hi-tech lenses, which have a great zoom power, so I could click from very far, yet the pictures would look like close-up shots. All the stuff I had to do near your house, I did it before alerting you. This apartment, as you know, is not in a very developed locality, so there aren't really any security guards around - that made my work easier. I didn't really know about your childhood abuse history until one day I saw through this window while you were cutting yourself as you drowned yourself in tears. Only an emotionally disturbed person can do such a thing, so I understood the possibility of you having suffered something painful in the past. Knowing this fact, I was all the more sure that I have chosen the right girl. Earlier I used to be around this house only watching you, soon I began to bring my camera along. I still remember that day when I got to click those delicious nudes of you, my determination to have you got much stronger that day, so did the possibility. And the night you did your little thieving got you deep into my trap." He continued.
Pankhudi's face now had the expression of guilt for that night when she walked away and didn't save the life of that woman when she could.
"Well let me ease your conscience sweetheart. That woman very much deserved her fate, and it was a good thing that you didn't save her. My sources told me that she had mercilessly burned her daughter-in-law alive for dowry about 7 years ago, and security officer had closed the case stating it to be an accident. It was the victim's brother who had hired a few men to kill her, deliberately after several years so that he wouldn't be the prime suspect. And since there was a considerable gap between the two events and since you stole her jewellery, the case became all the more misleading, and the security officer couldn't trace the culprit."
Pankhudi was both astonished as well as relieved to know the facts.
"Fear of the unknown is one of the worst human fears, and that is exactly what I exploited in your case. You were afraid of me because you didn't know who I was or what I wanted. You couldn't even predict my next move. Then the phone calls, sending you pictures, all that started. When you stopped taking my calls, I knew exactly how to punish you and waited for the right opportunity. I had to do the job myself because not everyone is comfortable handling scorpions. I put a nasty one in your purse when you left it unattended at the party for a while. The little fellow was pretty annoyed after being put in there, it was difficult for it to even breathe, it stung you at the first opportunity. Then I thought I might pay you a little visit at your office. I had to pay 2000 rupees to the guy who controls the power of the elevator to switch of the power for a few minutes. I am glad he was precise about the timing, I paid him a little extra after the work was done, because I was so happy after having a good feel of you for the first time. That was far more than what I would have paid a girl just to feel her, but in your case it was a fair bargain because I knew you had a strong character and high moral values and your body was never for sale. That and another meeting with you while you were returning home from college and you got pretty freaked out."
"I knew Nisha would interfere. I sent one of my men after her to gather all information about her. My man placed the note in her college locker, but I knew she was more strong willed and she needed a greater jolt to make her back out. So I decided to demonstrate what I am capable of. Not throwing acid at her was more in my interest than hers. I didn't want security officer to get involved in this, besides, fear of something bad is actually worse than the thing itself. My objective was achieved, Nisha got frightened, and you my darling were concerned enough to send her away so that she doesn't get hurt and I could have you all by myself." He kissed her cheek as he said that.
"I continued to monitor Nisha's activities; I wanted to make sure she wasn't trying to act too smart. I found out about her new location, and at the same time hired a small time thief to get me the key to this house from her purse without creating much fuss. And once I had they key, there was nothing that could stop me from having you."
Pankhudi began to cry as all the events were flashing across her mind.
"I could have blackmailed you easily, but where's the fun in that?" he said, "I am a tyrannical sadist, I methodically use violence to terrorize and intimidate my victims. I enjoyed every moment of mental anguish I put you through, and it was perfectly delicious to watch you slowly break and submit."
"Even when I brought you to my place," he continued, "Well, everything was ultimately under my control. I knew Roy was onto you since he saw you. I wanted to see what you both do in my absence, so I told him I was going away for a few days. He fell for it because I have left girls at his mercy in the past. Although this time the instructions were clear, he was asked to stay away from you, but he disobeyed and had to be punished. I would have perhaps labelled you as a slut had you not resisted Roy the other day. I would have punished you instead of him in that case, by allowing all my men to bang you. I would have used you till...well, I changed my mind."
Pankhudi started crying bitterly. He held her close and kissed her forehead.
"Oh don't you cry sweetheart, it's ok now." He said softly as he hugged her tightly, "The big bad stalker won't hurt you anymore."
"I am so ashamed of myself," Pankhudi spoke amongst her sobs, "I am ashamed of myself for behaving like a slut in front of you, for getting aroused by everything you did to me! I was liking it, I was responding, even though it was hurting me, even though it was shameful. I am so ashamed of being so weak! So vulnerable!"
"No Pankhudi you are not weak, neither are you a slut." he replied holding her chin and making her look straight at him, "Don't ever think of yourself that way. In fact, it was a weakness on my part to exploit your vulnerability. I deliberately chose you knowing your weak background, knowing that you were not in a position to resist much. All that I did to you, was to break you, to make you submit to my desires, it was all a part of my dark seduction. You gave in to the desires of your mind and body which is pretty natural. You were so innocent that you didn't even realize that you were being emotionally manipulated into submission. I have dealt with all kinds of girls, and you are the purest angel I've ever met."
He kissed her lips passionately. Then he hugged her and she rested her head on his shoulders.
"You are a very strong girl Pankh, to face the world alone. An unsheltered little angel flying all by herself in the storm. A lot of things weigh you down, but you still keep going., because you love your family. Your family loves too, they are so proud of you. I wish I had such a loving family, I wish I was worth such a loving family. I know much about you, I know how much you have to go through every single day of your life, how many lustful advances from nasty men you are forced to handle. I also know how deeply you crave to have a loving man in your life who would protect you from this bad bad world. I am unfortunately not that man, I can't promise you my faith, but I will be there for you when you need me. I will watch over you, I won't let anything happen to you. I will be your friend, your guardian and your guide, for as long as you need. I can do that much for you, in return of what I have taken from you and for the kindness you showed me tonight..."
Pankhudi hugged him tight as she cried on his shoulder.
"It's alright precious" he said caressing her back, "And let me tell you another thing, be proud of who you are, be proud of your sexuality and your dark desires. You didn't wake up one morning and decide that you want to hurt yourself nor did I become a sadist overnight. We have been through something very painful. Different people adapt differently to similar situations, a lot regarding the final outcome depends on their inborn personality and circumstances. We all have our reasons to feel the way we do, and only we know it, some of us talk about it, some don't but that doesn't change the facts."
Pankhudi was still crying and he was gently stroking her back, running his fingers through her hair to help her calm down. He held her in his arms for a long time. Pankhudi was lying against his bare chest with her eyes closed, feeling warm and safe in his embrace.
The power was still not restored, it was still dark, but it had stopped raining. Armaan looked at the screen of his mobile phone, it showed the time 4.00 am.
"I better leave now, I have a meeting this morning" he said as he kissed Pankhudi's forehead.
"It is still dark...please stay for some more time" she said touching his face lovingly.
"I wish I could sweetheart...but I must go" he said as he helped Pankhudi get off his lap. She lit the candle and the flickering golden light filled the room again.
He put on his clothes and opened his wallet. He gave her his business card and kissed her one last time.
"Thanks for everything cupcake...Call me if you need anything" he said with a smile.
Pankhudi was inquisitively trying to read the card in the light of the candle. It had his complete name, the name of his company and his contact number. All this information was very new to her, there was a curious smile on her face.
"One more thing" he said as he stood near the door, "I still have the evidence which is not good for your health, so you are not going to try anything funny, are you?"
Pankhudi was taken aback by the sudden change in his tone of speech and attitude. She quickly shook her head in negation.
"Better" he said in a dominant tone again, "I am your friend only as long as your feet stay on the ground. If you start getting any ideas about flying, trust me you are not going to like the consequences. This is not an idle threat."
Armaan gave a surprisingly warm smile after his cold threat, and left closing the door behind him.
Pankhudi was sitting on the bed holding his card in his hand. He had answered many questions for her. He had set her free, just like she had been once craving for. He promised to be her friend and he promised he was not going to hurt her anymore. But she still had so many questions on her mind. Why she felt so much attached to Armaan? Is it because he was the first man in her life? Why, in spite of his cruelty, she found her mind, body and soul craving for him? What did Armaan really think about her? Does he love her? If he doesn't then why did he come to her in such a frightening rainy night when he was sad? Why did he share his grief with her? He said he feels calm around her, he came to her just to hold her for a while, he came to her when he was missing his family...what could all this mean?
Now that he was her friend, Pankhudi hoped that with time she will find her answers.....
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