It was a hot whirlwind that had swept her off her feet, causing her thoughts to spiral and her flesh to break out into a million, exploding sensations. Ahanay's lips caught hers as he probed his tongue in, sucking in her entire sanity. That pinched feeling on her lips from the bite of his teeth lingered as she unconsciously closed her eyes, finding her lips move to his rhythm. He groaned, quickly sinking his hands in her bottom and pushing her upwards on the shelf, nudging her legs with his body to open wider for him.

"Open," he demanded, pushing her weak knees that spread apart. Standing in between, he lifted her completely off the floor and she wrapped her legs around him. It all happened so fast as if they were on fire, trying to quench it with each other's kisses. The urgency made them catch each other's lips again and again and smash their bodies into one, to feel whole at once.

Naina couldn't grasp what she was doing, her inexperienced lips moving to get as much of him as he did of her. Her cold hands that didn't feel her own rested around his neck limply as her body wriggled to get closer to him. More. Her soft body began rubbing against his hardness, drawing a strange, strangled sound that she felt tingling on her lips. He rasped, "Where did you learn to do this to me?"

"I thought you were teaching me," she whispered with a faint grin, her breathing heavy as his lips caught hers again, taking in her breaths. Not getting enough of her, his body pushed into hers to make her feel his hardness and just when the wave of ecstasy hit Naina, other things like books hit her too in a series of tsunami waves as she toppled backwards with the bookshelf. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Aicha gavat!"

* * *

Naina's eyes crinkled as she tried opening them, adjusting to the bright light that flooded the room.

"Oh, sorry! I'll just close the curtains," an angelic voice of a woman sang in her ears and she saw white in front of her eyes. Was she in heaven? Was she killed? "You could have died madam if the entire shelf had fallen on you. Thankfully, you fell backwards."

"Thankfully," Naina repeated bitterly, trying to get up from the bed. As she did, she heard cracking sounds and didn't know whether it was from her back due to the fall or heart due to the embarrassment. "Fuuuuuuuck! How could that happen right then? What did I do?!"

"What did you do, ma'am?"

"I was doing him, but---" she paused, realising the maid's curious eyes on her who was most probably taking notes in her mind. "Forget it. This is it. He'll get a divorce and I would get only a quarter of his wealth as alimony. I'll have to move back to my parents' house who will rob me off that quarter and I'll die alone and poor. What am I to do?"

The maid barely understood her, but before she could supply her with tokens of advice, there was a knock on the door.

"She's awake, sir!" She shouted and the door flung open, in came marching Ahanay, long and brisk steps that immediately closed the space between them and commanded the maid to fly out of the room.

Naina was taken aback when he seized her wrist with a frown, checking her pulse like a doctor. "Are you feeling hot?"

"No doctor," she thought sarcastically but didn't say that. She wanted to pretend to be as seductive as before, after all, wasn't that her plan? To seduce and kill him? Besides, if she acted cool like that, there was a slight chance that the earlier embarrassing moment would be erased from his memory. She sat up with difficulty, trying to pull him down by the collar of his shirt, but that stubborn man wouldn't budge. "Of course, I'm feeling hot with you."

She tried to use her sexy voice, but that came out like a croak of a frog.

Ahanay plucked her fingers that were tightly clasping his shirt, one by one, but she quickly jumped up at him. "Woah, woah. Hold on there, tiger." He grabbed her shoulders firmly, stepping away with a concerned face. "You should rest for now. You must be tired after that fall---"

"Tired?" She scoffed, throwing her arms around his neck, bringing her face close to his and puckering her lips like a fish. "I have better stamina than you think."

With his index finger, he pushed her forehead away, pushed it so far that her head hit the pillow. "That's about it. Good girl." He patted her head like she was a puppy and it was too awkward for her to do anything so she just lay there. "You need to erm. . . get better before the dinner event."

Just as he disappeared like a magician, Naina turned around in the bed and caught a glimpse of her swollen face in the mirror, screaming in horror till she fainted.

* * *

"Damn it!" She cursed, placing the bag of ice over her bulging forehead. No wonder Ahanay wanted nothing to do with her. She looked and felt like a little Frankenstein and like him, she wished to annihilate this world. Why couldn't she live a normal, rich, wife's life? Why did she have to suffer a fall and balloon up her face? How was she supposed to show herself in front of the most sophisticated crowd of Mumbai at today's dinner?

Varsha sniggered at her face and Naina immediately shot daggers at her through her glare, barking, "Those decorations look like a 5-year-old's birthday party! Hang them properly or I'll hang you!"

"Sir!" Varsha screeched for help, but it was Naina's time to snigger.

"Sir's not at home. I'm your boss now," she said with her chin up like a queen, stretching and crossing her legs. But God, what was she going to do to her face? There had to be a remedy, something, anything to deflate that balloon.

"I have a remedy," Varsha said as if reading her thoughts. "But for that, you must excuse me for today. I have a date."

Naina gauged her face, that proud face which was pleased to announce her dating plans.

"How can I trust you?"

"You have no option," she said with a crooked smile, cracking her knuckles to start working on a sceptical and defeated Naina. Time passed as all sorts of masala were thrown on her face like colours during Holi, from haldi to curry leaves, her face was a pot for a delicious stew. At times, Naina grew suspicious and alert, other times, she gave in to the stew-making process. This was her last hope, granted, it came from her mortal enemy. As she had said, Naina was left with no option. "Done!" A mirror flashed in front of her face and Naina's eyes widened in surprise, where was the earlier monster and who was this? "Amazing, huh? Who knew a poor thing like you had the potential to look like a madam?"

"I'm still your boss." Naina narrowed her eyes in irritation, but it soon melted away, as if she herself didn't want to ugly the beautiful face that stared back at her.

"Here's what Sir sent. Aren't you a lucky bitch---" Varsha stopped there, seeing her features twitch in first signs of pure wrath. She hastily placed the silky, red dress that Ahanay had sent on the sofa and exited for her date before Naina could break her promise and pile her with more work. Sighing, Naina picked up the dress, peeled her clothes off and wiggled her body into it, loving how the silk rubbed against her smooth skin. Only fifteen minutes were left for the event to start and she could already smell the expensive wine wafting in the air and hear the footsteps of waiters and servants arranging everything downstairs. Suddenly, there were noises of cars and people and she rushed to the window, to see rows of BMWs and Mercedes drift in through their gate like a disciplined cavalry.

"Shit! They're here already!" Her palms were sweating as she struggled to zip up her dress, why the hell was it stuck? As she tried pulling it up for the hundredth time with her eyes focused on more cars that glided in, a hand grabbed her zip. "Oh Ahanay, thank god, you're here. I didn't know how to greet those rich guests of yours---" Just then, a finger brushed against her naked back and she stilled in fear at that unfamiliar touch.

"It's me," Ohas' voice snapped her out of that stillness as she spun around, tightly clutching her dress. His cold, cat eyes pierced her through the darkness as he said through gritted teeth, "Why did you think it was him?"

"Why not?" She challenged, still clutching the dress, not trusting him. "It's his house. He's my husband---" she paused, noticing how his eyes turned dark at those words. It was best to not play with him tonight. "But why are you here? And what are you doing in those- those waiter's clothes?"

"It's time," he announced, calmly stepping away from her with his arms crossed behind his back and letting her breathe. Letting her breathe just for a second. "It's time to kill him."

Her breath stuck in her throat as she choked, "What?"

"Who's there?" Ahanay's sudden voice broke through the air as Naina looked at Ohas in heightened panic, her eyes large and pleading that failed to affect him even the tiniest bit.

*

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