10-01-2019, 04:47 PM
His touching also became more prolonged and bold than she found comfortable describing to Reena aunty. Once at an art exhibition, when she was wearing a sari, he had casually slipped his arm around her and placed his hand on the naked skin above her waist. She had almost jumped out of her skin, but didn't push his hand away. For about ten minutes, they walked like that, with a lot of the visitors around noting to themselves that the old millionaire seemed to have a young hot girlfriend.
Almost everyday, Mansi felt tempted to just talk to Amar about all this. Tell him the true nature of her "job", tell him about the flirtatious generous benefactor behind the uptick in their lifestyle. But she couldn't. She couldn't talk to anyone. She had no real friends to speak of. She couldn't discuss such things with her parents or relatives. And the only one she could talk to, Reena aunty, had in fact suggested she forge ahead. What was that term she used? Friends with benefits? Mansi fished out her phone and googled the term. And read the description wide-eyed.
--
The next Sunday, Mansi was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, when Pinky walked in with her phone that she had left in the living room.
"Mamma, it's ringing."
Pinky handed it over and then ran back to the living room where she was watching TV with her father. Mansi recognized the number. She answered after making sure Amar was still in the living room.
"Hello."
"Mansi, it's me. The car is on the way. Be ready in ten minutes." Dutt casually said.
"What? I can't come today. It's a Sunday! My daughter is home."
"So what? Your husband will be home too, right? He can take care of her."
She was a little pissed at how casually he was dictating what she should do with her family life.
"Listen Duttsahab, this is not acceptable. I have a family, a life of my own. I am happy to meet you tomorrow. But I can't just drop everything and..."
"Don't argue with me, Mansi." Dutt sternly said. "Besides, I am leaving for Europe tomorrow. Will be gone for a couple of months. So today is the only day I have."
"Then we will meet after you come back. I really can't come today."
"Either you meet me today as I have instructed. Or then we are through. I will never call you again, and you never call me again."
"Fine." she angrily said and hung up.
Mansi was a little breathless with tension and anger. Who did he think he was, ordering her to just come to him like she was his property? He had been acting a bit more demanding recently but this was the absolute limit. He wanted to cut off all contacts over this? Fine. She was getting by with life okay before she met him. She would get by fine after too. Thinking these thoughts, she angrily scrubbed the kitchen counter clean.
Then she walked out to the living room and saw Pinky watching TV while playing with the new Italian dolls Dutt had bought for her. She saw the look of pure joy on her daughter's face.
"Amar." she said.
"Hmmm?" he replied, still looking at the TV.
"I need to go help out at the hotel. It's an emergency. A couple of people who were supposed to help out got food poisoning."
"But today is a Sunday." Amar sourly said. "Pinky is home."
"I know. It will just be a few hours. You can look after her."
"Me...look after her?" Amar sounded almost shocked.
"She is your daughter too, you know?" Mansi sarcastically replied.
"Okay, okay. If you have to go, then go." Amar was taken aback at her feisty response.
Mansi went to the bedroom to get ready.
Dutt sat waiting in the car, checking his watch every few minutes. He was afraid he had pushed her too far out of her comfort zone. And that threat to never call her again if she didn't come...seemed like a good idea at first but maybe it was a mistake. Ten minutes turned to fifteen and then to twenty. Maybe she wasn't coming. He almost told the driver to start driving when there she came, around the corner. Dutt smiled with self-assurance. She was wearing a dark red sari, and carrying an imported purse he had bought for her. She seemed to be scowling. But the important thing was, she was here.
"Hi." he said when she opened the door.
She just pouted and got in, shutting the door a little too hard.
"You're unbelievable." she said in a surly voice, folding her hands across her chest.
He just shrugged. She saw that he had a champagne bottle open. He poured some in a flute and held it out for her.
"I don't want it."
"Have some. You know you like it. And it'll calm you down."
"I said I don't want it."
"Mansi!" he said harshly. "Stop acting like a petulant child and spoiling the mood. I told you to have it, so have it."
Reluctantly, she took the champagne and sipped some. Over the last few weeks, she had developed a taste for alcohol. She still had enough self-control to not get too drunk like at the art gallery. But most of the events they attended had alcohol being served. Whenever she got back home, she was usually a little buzzed. Amar once even smelled alcohol on her breath and asked her about it. She said it was just a celebratory toast. After that, she started brushing her teeth and using mouthwash before he got home.
They rode in silence for a while. The champagne did calm her down a little. But she was still not completely at peace.
"Why am I doing this?" she said out loud.
"What?" Dutt looked at her.
"Why am I here? Why did I just lie to my husband, leave my daughter at home, and come here?"
"You know why." he smiled.
"It's not all about money." she said, more to herself than to Dutt.
"I didn't mean it was about the money."
"Then what did you mean?"
"What do you think I meant?"
"Duttsahab, please! Stop playing games with me." Mansi said, reaching for the bottle to refill her glass.
Dutt said nothing, started looking out of the window and sipped champagne.
"Where are we going anyway that is so important? Another corporate event? Another exhibition?"
"Neither of those." he said.
"Then?"
"We are just going to my suite in Reena's hotel. Like I told you, I won't be in the country for a couple of months. So I just wanted to spend some quality time with you. You know by now that I love spending time with you."
Mansi was a little taken aback by this revelation. Until now, all the time they had spent together had been in public. And now he was just simply taking her to his hotel suite? To what end?
"What are we going to do in the hotel suite?"
"We can do whatever we want." Dutt cryptically said.
"Will Reena aunty be there?"
"Not unless you want her to be."
Mansi clammed up and thought some more. Finally she said,
"What if I ask you to just drop me home right now?"
"I will drop you home right now..."
"But?"
"You know but what?"
"We will never meet again?"
He just shrugged.
"So I don't really have a choice." Mansi said.
"Everyone always has a choice, Mansi."
The car sped through the relatively empty Sunday streets and was soon in Malad. At the hotel, a valet opened the door of the limo and the two of them stepped out. Every step Mansi took through the foyer and into the lobby made her seem like she was wearing shoes made of lead. Dutt walked alongside her, feeling nervous and excited himself. After Reena reported her conversation back to him, he decided that the time was ripe. Clearly, Mansi had at least some feelings for him. The ultimate test would be an ultimatum. It was a big gamble, but it had paid off.
He still wasn't sure how far he should go though. Over the last few weeks, he had slowly but surely increased moments of tender physical intimacy between them. And now, without making up any ruse, he had told this young housewife that he was taking her to his hotel room in the middle of the day. Even she wasn't innocent enough to not realize the implication of that. And yet here she was. A little upset, a little scared, but still, willingly walking with him.
They walked into a suite that was even more plush and fancy than Reena's. But unlike that time, Mansi barely noticed the expensive decorations and fittings. Her mind was preoccupied with a struggle. She was still replaying his line about everyone always having a choice in her mind.
"So what next?" she asked.
"Have a seat."
"Where?"
"Anywhere."
She walked to the single seater love seat in the living area and sat down in it.
"More champagne?" he asked.
"Just a little. I get a headache if I have too much." she said.
"Only cheap regular champagnes they serve at those events cause headaches. Not this one. This is really special. I have been saving it for a special occasion."
He went to the bar area and took a bottle from a ice bucket where it had been left by the hotel staff at his orders. Mansi looked at the bottle. It didn't look too special or different from the other champagne bottles she had seen.
"It is one of the most elite champagnes in the world. Moet and Chandon Dom Perignon. Costs about 40,000 rupees in India."
"Oh, I see." she knew him long enough to know that money was no object to him.
"Look at the year."
She read the label.
"1988." the champagne had been bottled in the same year that she had been born. She wondered if it was just a coincidence. But knowing him it had to be a deliberate decision.
Dutt unwrapped the foil and then using his thumb, deftly pressed the cork upwards. It flew up and landed on the floor. Fizz came out of the bottle. he quickly poured it in two flutes, handing one to Mansi.
Almost everyday, Mansi felt tempted to just talk to Amar about all this. Tell him the true nature of her "job", tell him about the flirtatious generous benefactor behind the uptick in their lifestyle. But she couldn't. She couldn't talk to anyone. She had no real friends to speak of. She couldn't discuss such things with her parents or relatives. And the only one she could talk to, Reena aunty, had in fact suggested she forge ahead. What was that term she used? Friends with benefits? Mansi fished out her phone and googled the term. And read the description wide-eyed.
--
The next Sunday, Mansi was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, when Pinky walked in with her phone that she had left in the living room.
"Mamma, it's ringing."
Pinky handed it over and then ran back to the living room where she was watching TV with her father. Mansi recognized the number. She answered after making sure Amar was still in the living room.
"Hello."
"Mansi, it's me. The car is on the way. Be ready in ten minutes." Dutt casually said.
"What? I can't come today. It's a Sunday! My daughter is home."
"So what? Your husband will be home too, right? He can take care of her."
She was a little pissed at how casually he was dictating what she should do with her family life.
"Listen Duttsahab, this is not acceptable. I have a family, a life of my own. I am happy to meet you tomorrow. But I can't just drop everything and..."
"Don't argue with me, Mansi." Dutt sternly said. "Besides, I am leaving for Europe tomorrow. Will be gone for a couple of months. So today is the only day I have."
"Then we will meet after you come back. I really can't come today."
"Either you meet me today as I have instructed. Or then we are through. I will never call you again, and you never call me again."
"Fine." she angrily said and hung up.
Mansi was a little breathless with tension and anger. Who did he think he was, ordering her to just come to him like she was his property? He had been acting a bit more demanding recently but this was the absolute limit. He wanted to cut off all contacts over this? Fine. She was getting by with life okay before she met him. She would get by fine after too. Thinking these thoughts, she angrily scrubbed the kitchen counter clean.
Then she walked out to the living room and saw Pinky watching TV while playing with the new Italian dolls Dutt had bought for her. She saw the look of pure joy on her daughter's face.
"Amar." she said.
"Hmmm?" he replied, still looking at the TV.
"I need to go help out at the hotel. It's an emergency. A couple of people who were supposed to help out got food poisoning."
"But today is a Sunday." Amar sourly said. "Pinky is home."
"I know. It will just be a few hours. You can look after her."
"Me...look after her?" Amar sounded almost shocked.
"She is your daughter too, you know?" Mansi sarcastically replied.
"Okay, okay. If you have to go, then go." Amar was taken aback at her feisty response.
Mansi went to the bedroom to get ready.
Dutt sat waiting in the car, checking his watch every few minutes. He was afraid he had pushed her too far out of her comfort zone. And that threat to never call her again if she didn't come...seemed like a good idea at first but maybe it was a mistake. Ten minutes turned to fifteen and then to twenty. Maybe she wasn't coming. He almost told the driver to start driving when there she came, around the corner. Dutt smiled with self-assurance. She was wearing a dark red sari, and carrying an imported purse he had bought for her. She seemed to be scowling. But the important thing was, she was here.
"Hi." he said when she opened the door.
She just pouted and got in, shutting the door a little too hard.
"You're unbelievable." she said in a surly voice, folding her hands across her chest.
He just shrugged. She saw that he had a champagne bottle open. He poured some in a flute and held it out for her.
"I don't want it."
"Have some. You know you like it. And it'll calm you down."
"I said I don't want it."
"Mansi!" he said harshly. "Stop acting like a petulant child and spoiling the mood. I told you to have it, so have it."
Reluctantly, she took the champagne and sipped some. Over the last few weeks, she had developed a taste for alcohol. She still had enough self-control to not get too drunk like at the art gallery. But most of the events they attended had alcohol being served. Whenever she got back home, she was usually a little buzzed. Amar once even smelled alcohol on her breath and asked her about it. She said it was just a celebratory toast. After that, she started brushing her teeth and using mouthwash before he got home.
They rode in silence for a while. The champagne did calm her down a little. But she was still not completely at peace.
"Why am I doing this?" she said out loud.
"What?" Dutt looked at her.
"Why am I here? Why did I just lie to my husband, leave my daughter at home, and come here?"
"You know why." he smiled.
"It's not all about money." she said, more to herself than to Dutt.
"I didn't mean it was about the money."
"Then what did you mean?"
"What do you think I meant?"
"Duttsahab, please! Stop playing games with me." Mansi said, reaching for the bottle to refill her glass.
Dutt said nothing, started looking out of the window and sipped champagne.
"Where are we going anyway that is so important? Another corporate event? Another exhibition?"
"Neither of those." he said.
"Then?"
"We are just going to my suite in Reena's hotel. Like I told you, I won't be in the country for a couple of months. So I just wanted to spend some quality time with you. You know by now that I love spending time with you."
Mansi was a little taken aback by this revelation. Until now, all the time they had spent together had been in public. And now he was just simply taking her to his hotel suite? To what end?
"What are we going to do in the hotel suite?"
"We can do whatever we want." Dutt cryptically said.
"Will Reena aunty be there?"
"Not unless you want her to be."
Mansi clammed up and thought some more. Finally she said,
"What if I ask you to just drop me home right now?"
"I will drop you home right now..."
"But?"
"You know but what?"
"We will never meet again?"
He just shrugged.
"So I don't really have a choice." Mansi said.
"Everyone always has a choice, Mansi."
The car sped through the relatively empty Sunday streets and was soon in Malad. At the hotel, a valet opened the door of the limo and the two of them stepped out. Every step Mansi took through the foyer and into the lobby made her seem like she was wearing shoes made of lead. Dutt walked alongside her, feeling nervous and excited himself. After Reena reported her conversation back to him, he decided that the time was ripe. Clearly, Mansi had at least some feelings for him. The ultimate test would be an ultimatum. It was a big gamble, but it had paid off.
He still wasn't sure how far he should go though. Over the last few weeks, he had slowly but surely increased moments of tender physical intimacy between them. And now, without making up any ruse, he had told this young housewife that he was taking her to his hotel room in the middle of the day. Even she wasn't innocent enough to not realize the implication of that. And yet here she was. A little upset, a little scared, but still, willingly walking with him.
They walked into a suite that was even more plush and fancy than Reena's. But unlike that time, Mansi barely noticed the expensive decorations and fittings. Her mind was preoccupied with a struggle. She was still replaying his line about everyone always having a choice in her mind.
"So what next?" she asked.
"Have a seat."
"Where?"
"Anywhere."
She walked to the single seater love seat in the living area and sat down in it.
"More champagne?" he asked.
"Just a little. I get a headache if I have too much." she said.
"Only cheap regular champagnes they serve at those events cause headaches. Not this one. This is really special. I have been saving it for a special occasion."
He went to the bar area and took a bottle from a ice bucket where it had been left by the hotel staff at his orders. Mansi looked at the bottle. It didn't look too special or different from the other champagne bottles she had seen.
"It is one of the most elite champagnes in the world. Moet and Chandon Dom Perignon. Costs about 40,000 rupees in India."
"Oh, I see." she knew him long enough to know that money was no object to him.
"Look at the year."
She read the label.
"1988." the champagne had been bottled in the same year that she had been born. She wondered if it was just a coincidence. But knowing him it had to be a deliberate decision.
Dutt unwrapped the foil and then using his thumb, deftly pressed the cork upwards. It flew up and landed on the floor. Fizz came out of the bottle. he quickly poured it in two flutes, handing one to Mansi.
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