[Steel]

Rakesh barked a harsh laugh, seemingly not offended in the slightest. "Because that doesn't matter. Let me tell you a little secret, Sherry boy."

He leaned forward across the table, his eyes glowing with an internal light. "All women are sluts deep down. I know that secret, and that's all it takes to be successful with women."

Sharath scoffed a little laugh, but Rakesh’s expression didn't change. "What?" asked Sharath, shaking his head. "You can't be fucking serious."

"Oh, but I am," said Rakesh solemnly. "It's hard-wired into the female brain. Here, look at this.” He unlocked his phone, opened a reel of Anveshi Jain on Instagram, and held it out to Sharath.

Sharath stared at the video. “You know how you can't keep your eyes away when you see her big, bouncy pair of tits?” Sharath stiffened and set the phone down on the table awkwardly. “That’s male hard-wiring. Our primal instincts want us to find a good mommy for our kids. Young, fertile, and healthy. And women want a good daddy. They can't fight it. It's baked into their genetics."

Sharath raised his eyebrows. What sort of ridiculous misogynistic shit was this? Was Rakesh playing some kind of joke? "So..." he said slowly, "You're saying women just start drooling when they see..." He gestured expressively at Rakesh's ugly sitting stance.

Rakesh laughed again, taking a noisy slurping sip of beer. "You haven't seen what I'm packing under these shorts, buddy. But more seriously, looks aren't that important for women's instincts. They want someone forceful. Confident. Dominant. That's what their subconscious screams as good daddy material. All of that nurturing and supportive crap is great, but those kinds of guys will always be around to help raise the alpha's kids later."

Sharath frowned. This didn't feel funny anymore. The joke was getting old. "Come on man," he said, getting a little testy, "You can't believe that crap. Not all women are sluts. That's fucking ridiculous."

Rakesh shrugged with a slimy grin. "I've personally found no exceptions. The only reason that some women seem innocent is that they've never met an alpha who wants them. When they do, they all spread their legs."

"There are clearly some women who aren't sluts," said Sharath, his voice rising a little as he got heated.

"Name one," Rakesh shot back, his voice still cool and hard. It seemed like Sharath's insults hadn't been forgotten.

"Kusha," said Sharath with a smug grin, as if laying down a trump card. It was hard to imagine a woman who fit Rakesh's insane worldview less than his wife. She was powerful, driven, and a paragon of self-control.

Sharath watched Rakesh carefully, ready to accept his surrender in the argument. Instead, Rakesh looked evasive, a sly grin spreading across his face. "No comment there," he said with a little chuckle.

Sharath's face grew red. He leaned across the table with a frown. "And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"