[Joker44]

Do din baad ki shaam haveli ke sheeshe mein ek alag rani khadi thi. Srivalli ne aaj saree nahi, ek deep black satin gown chuni thi, lambi, body par tight, neeche slit jo chalte hi ran tak khul jaata, gale par ek patli gold line, peeth adhkhuli, aur uske upar bhi mangalsutra usne nahi utara, kali ladiyan kaale satin par chamak rahi thi. Baal khule, ek taraf kaan ke peeche, kundan tops, sindoor ki patli rekha maang mein, jaise koi is dress ke saath bhi apni shaadi ka nishan le kar jaa rahi ho. Payal nahi, sirf ek patli gold payal si chain anklet, aur black heels. Attar halka, sandalwood nahi, kuch tez, sheher wala, jaise koi investor-meeting ke liye nikal rahi ho, kothi ki bahu ki tarah nahi.

Usne sheeshe ke saamne khade-khade zipper khud check kiya, peeth ke neeche tak, sheer black wrap seene par rakha, jo mangalsutra ko poori tarah nahi chhupata tha, aur lipstick ek patli dark line, zyada nahi, taaki baad mein mite to bhi rani dikhe, bibiyan nahi. *Aaj main us aadmi ke paas jaa rahi hoon jiske saath maine ek raat apni keemat khud tay ki thi, jiske saath mera pehla sauda hua tha, aur aaj meri haan meri hogi, meri shart meri hogi. Gown kaala hai, lekin meri maang laal hai, yeh main nahi chhodungi.*

Pushpa ji darwaze par ruk gaye, aankhon mein ek pal ki hairani, nazar gown ke slit par, phir mangalsutra par, phir uski aankhon par, aur unhone kuch nahi kaha us dress par, sirf itna poocha, awaaz mein ek halka sa sawal, “Rani, yeh meeting itni raat ki hai? Foreign investor hai na, Jolly bol raha tha port ki baat hai. Main chalun saath? Itna ooncha hotel, itni der, mujhe achha nahi lagta tu akeli jaaye.”

Srivalli ne unki taraf mud kar muskuraya, awaaz ghar wali, wrap seene par theek karte hue. “Aap nahi, Pushpa ji. Yeh angrezi baat hai, hotel ki, contract ki. Jolly introduce karega, main baat karungi, late hua to phone kar dungi. Aap chinta mat kijiye, yeh meri file ka hissa hai, aapki goli ka nahi. Bandargaah ke liye yeh aadmi kaam aa sakta hai, aapke timber ke liye bhi. Main sambhal jaaungi.”

Unhone uske maathe par kiss kiya, beedi ki khushboo ek pal uske baalon mein rahi, aur kaha, “Theek hai. Tu jaanti hai tu kya kar rahi hai. Main yahin hoon. Der ho to message kar dena, main jagta rahunga.” *Aap kehte hain main jaanti hoon, aur main jaanti bhi hoon, lekin aapko yeh nahi dikhana ki main kisko milne jaa rahi hoon. Dave wapas aaya hai, aur is baar main apni haan le kar, apni kursi le kar jaa rahi hoon. Aap verandah par beedi jalayenge, aur main oonche floor par apni file ki keemat soch kar dungi.*

Gaadi mein baithte hue usne sheer wrap kas liya, slit ko ek pal god mein chhupaaya, phir chhod diya, kyunki chhupana ab uska kaam nahi tha. Driver aage tha, chup, aur raste par sheher ki lights window par daudne lagi. Srivalli ne phone mein Dave ka last message ek baar aur padha, phir lock kar diya. *Do din pehle meri gaadi par goli lagi thi, aaj meri peeth khuli hui gown mein hai. Dono meri kursi ke hisaab hain, dono soch kar.*

Raste mein ek chauraha aaya jahan do din pehle posters lage the, uska chehra, pallu theek, “Srivalli Pushpa Raj,” aur usne nazar hata li, kyunki kaala gown us poster wali bahu se nahi milta tha. Dil tez tha, haath thande, lekin faisla pehle ho chuka tha. Usne driver se kaha, “Gate par khade rahiye, der ho sakti hai, aap chai le lijiye, main phone kar dungi.” Driver ne sir hilaaya, “Haan, rani ji,” aur us lafz par uske honth ek pal ke liye kas gaye, kyunki aaj yeh rani hotel ke oonche floor par apni keemat soch kar dene wali thi.

Hotel ka lobby thanda tha, marble, chhoti si music, aur lift ke sheeshe mein uski kaali soorat ek pal ke liye itni alag lagi ki usko khud par hasi bhi aayi, ghabrahat bhi. Penthouse sheher ke sabse oonche floor par tha, sheeshe ki deewar, neeche lights, andar thandi hawa aur whiskey ki halki si khushboo. Dave khada tha, lambi body, steel-grey shirt, sleeves folded, dark trousers, neeli aankhein wahi thandi, lekin jab unhone usko dekha, black gown, mangalsutra, sindoor, to unke honth par ek pehchaan si muskaan aayi, jaise koi apni purani file khol raha ho, aur paaye ki file badal chuki ho.

“Mrs. Pushpa,” unhone English mein kaha, phir Hinglish mein, awaaz wohi control wali, “ya ab main MLA Srivalli kahun? Come in. You look like a queen who finally read her own contract.” Unhone glass badhaya, whiskey, do cubes, aur usne sir hilaaya, heels par ek kadam andar, wrap ko seene par rakhte hue.

“Paani, whiskey nahi,” usne kaha, awaaz shaant, seedhi. “Mujhe hosh chahiye, Dave. Aaj main wahi aurat nahi hoon jo aapke lounge mein royi thi. Naam Srivalli hi rahega, MLA abhi nahi, ticket zaroor. Aap baithiye, main bhi baithungi, pehle baat, baad mein jo socha hai.”

Dave ne paani diya, usko sheeshe ke kareeb kursi di, aur khud saamne baitha, taangein lambi, nazar uske mangalsutra par, phir slit par, phir aankhon par, jaise koi hisaab ek-ek karke padh raha ho. “I heard about the shots on your road. I also heard your name is on a ticket, and that Venkat and a commissioner picked up a phone for you. You’ve been busy. I came because I keep my word, and because a port at war is a place where my ships still matter. The question is, what do you want from me this time — and what are you willing to give, now that no one is holding a jail key over you?”

Srivalli ne paani ka ghoont liya, glass rakha, aur unki neeli aankhon mein dekha, awaaz shaant, seedhi, jitni dinner par thi, jitni Naidu ki office mein thi. “Aap seedhe poochhte hain, to main seedha bolti hoon. Us raat main aapke paas apna pehla sauda karne aayi thi, aankhein khuli rakh kar. Aaj main aapke paas apni kursi le kar aayi hoon, apni marzi se. Shekhar Goud mere convoy par goli chala chuka hai, bandargaah par nazar hai, aur mujhe aapki ships, aapka paise, aur aapka international cover chahiye, taaki meri file sirf sheher ki na rahe. Jo dungi, soch kar dungi, aaj raat, yahin, lekin kisi dabav se nahi, kisi purani file se nahi, kisi purani yaad se nahi. Aap meri pehli shart ko aaj ki haan par mat lapetiye. Aap meri saath ki baat kijiye. Agar yeh manzoor ho, to main rukungi. Nahi ho to main abhi nikal sakti hoon, ticket meri hai, aapke bagair bhi.”

Dave thodi der chup rahe, glass apne honth tak le gaye, phir neeche rakha, aur hans pade, dheemi, steel jaisi hansi, jo pehle darati thi, aaj sirf hisaab jaisi lagi. “There she is. The woman I first bargained with, sharper now. All right, rani. I’ll move a line of credit, I’ll hold a ship at your port when you need a show of force, and I’ll leak Shekhar’s foreign buyers to people who can hurt him. In return, I want tonight. Not a week, not a cruise, tonight. You in that dress, then out of it, on my terms in bed, but on your yes. You say stop, I stop. You say slower, I go slower. That’s the contract. Do we have it?”

Srivalli ne ek pal sheeshe ke bahar sheher dekha, neeche lights, haveli us roshni mein kahin chhoti, aur andar uska dil tez. Ghabrahat thi, purani yaad thi, uske jism par pehli raat ki nishaniyan ab nahi thin, lekin unki yaad thi, lounge ki, us raat ki, jab maine apni keemat khud tay ki thi. Uske saath aaj ek saaf hisaab tha, aur woh hisaab aaj uske honth tak aa gaya. Usne socha, ships, credit, Shekhar ke buyers, aur us soch ke saath us gown ki peeth, uski maang ka laal, aur woh baat ki agar woh abhi uth kar chali jaaye, to ticket uske paas fir bhi rahegi, lekin bandargaah ki jung adhuri pad sakti hai. Usne glass ek baar aur chhua, paani nahi piya, sirf hatheli thandi rakhne ke liye, aur kaha, awaaz halki lekin tuti nahi, “Haan. Aaj raat meri haan hai. Dress aap utarie, mangalsutra rahega, sindoor rahega. Jo kahungi ruko, rukiye. Dheere kahungi to dheere kijiye. Yeh meri shart hai, aapki bhi, jo aapne kahi. Iske aage koi purani file, koi purana naam mat lijiye. Aaj ki raat aaj ki hai.”

“Good,” Dave ne kaha, uth kar uske kareeb aate hue, haath pehle uske sheer wrap par, phir uski kamar par, satin ke upar se, garam, lambi ungliyan, control wali. “Then come here, and look at me while I take it off. I want to see that you’re still choosing it. If you look away because you’re afraid, I’ll wait. If you look at me because you mean it, I’ll go on.”

Srivalli uth khadi hui, heels par, unke itne kareeb ki unki shirt uske gown ke gold line se lag gayi, aur usne unki aankhon mein dekha, nazar nahi hatayi. “Dekh rahi hoon, Dave. Utarie. Main yahin hoon, apni marzi se.”

Unhone wrap utara, pehle ek kandhe se, phir doosre se, kapda sofa par giraya, phir gown ke zipper ko peeth par dheere khola, satin uski chamri se khisaka, thanda, phisalta, aur black kapda taknon tak gir gaya, heels ke kareeb ek kaala gher. Srivalli heels mein khadi rahi, nangi, mangalsutra, tops, sindoor, anklet, aur sheeshe mein neeche sheher ki lights uski peeth par gir rahi thi, uski chhati par kali ladiyan, uski maang mein laal rekha. Dave ne usko oonche se neeche tak dekha, ek lamba saans liya, haath abhi nahi lagaya, sirf dekha, aur kaha, “Still the most expensive thing in any room I’m in. Turn around once. I want the back, then I want your mouth, then I want you on your back. Tell me you want that order, or change it.”

Woh ek baar mud kar sheeshe ki taraf khadi hui, peeth unke saamne, adhkhuli si yaad us zipper ki jagah, aur kaha, awaaz mein sharm thi, lekin inkaar nahi, “Yahi order theek hai. Pehle aap dekhiye, phir main muh se lungi, phir aap mujhe palang par lijiye, dheere. Main chahti hoon, yeh main keh rahi hoon.”

Dave ne peeche se uski kamar pakadi, honth uski gardan par, sindoor ki line ke kareeb nahi, kandhe ke neeche, aur kaha, “Kneel, then. Look at me while you do it.” Srivalli heels nikaal kar neeche baithi, carpet thanda, uske ghutnon ke neeche, aur unke trousers ke buckle ko khud khola, zipper, phir unka lund bahar liya, bada, garam, already tight, jaise contract ke pehle hi page par mohar lag chuki ho. Usne pehle sira chhusa, jeeb, phir honth, phir dheere andar liya, jitna munh ne diya, aur unki neeli aankhon mein dekhti rahi. Dave ke haath uske baalon mein the, kheenchte nahi, sirf pakde hue, aur unki awaaz ab control se thodi bhaari thi, “That’s it, good, you don’t have to take it all, just stay with me. You can stop whenever you want.”

Usne ek pal nikal kar saans li, honth chamakte, aur kaha, “Ruk nahi rahi, ahhh, thoda aur, dheere.” Phir wapas liya, gehra, jeeb ke neeche, haath unki jangh par, aur jab unki saans tez hui to usne sira honthon par rakh kar kaha, “Ab palang, jaise aapne kaha. Main let jaaungi, aap aaiye, andar lijiye, lekin pehle dheere.”