CHAPTER 1

ARYA

“I still don’t understand why I had to come with you?” I commented for the hundredth time. I was feeling exceptionally irked by the behavior of my two best friends. They knew that I was uncomfortable in such flashy places, but did they care? I think not!

“Like I said, there is strength in numbers,” Raghu spoke, giving me a very condescending look.

I sighed as I looked around, feeling sore and out of place. I was tapping my shoes at the table and was hopelessly waiting for the dreaded hour to be over when Sri roared, “Vishwaswamini Arya Nathan.” I froze. I always froze at the mention of my full name, which I hated to my core. “Can’t you do this for your friends? You didn’t have the courtesy to wear something decent and gracious to honor the venue, at least do us some favor and not make impolite and mediocre noises in a place like this,” Sri glared.

We were sitting in the bar-cum-restaurant of the biggest and the finest establishment in Cape Town, South Africa. It was a miracle that they had allowed us entry despite my presence. Not that I was a beggar or a foul creature, but it was just that I was the most under-dressed person in the entire room. I was wearing a double-XL full-sleeved top, baggy jeans and my hair was done in the most untidy fashion. Sri always insisted that I wore something of my size, which was easily S but I had my reasons that no one understood.

“Why don’t you take off your glasses at least?” Raghu pointed, “You are neither reading nor working, do you really have to wear those hideous things here?” This time, I glared back. Yes, my glasses were possibly the geekiest ones in the entire world. Square, with broad black frames, but I liked them. They helped me stay invisible to the world. Giving them a very annoyed look, I pulled out a book from my bag and started reading it. My friends sighed and scoffed at my actions and turned their focus on the man of the hour.

“How long do you think his meeting would go on?” Sri asked softly.

“As long as he needs to. I don’t mind sitting here all day,” Raghu added.

“But the manager of the restaurant might. If we have to sit here for another hour, the bill is going to bleed me dry,” Sri exclaimed, sipping at the coffee. “Mind you, for 250 Rands a cup, this is one horrible drink,” she screwed up her face.

Both Sri and Raghu had planned today meticulously. As they were not sure for how long they needed to occupy a table here, they were ordering one thing at a time and were taking all the time in the world to consume it.

Out of habit, I did a quick mental calculation – the current exchange rate between Indian rupees and South African Rand was approximate 4.5Rs. So, this coffee was actually Rs. 1,125. Fuck! I thought as I stared at the tiny cup in Sri’s hands.

“It’s already been three hours,” I spoke again and my friends ignored me, yet again. “Why do you even think that he would give us a second glance? He is the richest man in the country. Even his bouncers and security are not giving us a second look,” I pointed in the right direction.

“We have to try,” Sri spoke hopefully. “I really need to get into that orientation program. If I pass the final test and get the certificate, I will be eligible to qualify directly for the final interview for any international finance company.”

“Yeah, it won’t matter to you, Arya, but it matters the world to me,” Raghu added to Sri’s sentiments.

We sat there for another two hours during which I finished another book. “You really devour these romance books like food,” Sri smirked.

“This cover,” I pointed at one of the sexiest covers that I had ever seen – a semi-naked couple in an intimate embrace, making out in the rain in a forest, “And this title is nowhere allowed in my home back in India. So, I want to read the entire collection before I have to go back,” I smirked.

“Yeah, this is hot,” Raghu spoke, drooling over the cover. Both Sri and I knew that he was not admiring the girl featuring on the cover. He was drooling over the bare-chested man whose body was shining like diamonds.

“How do you read this and not get aroused?” Raghu enquired.

“It’s personal,” I spoke, getting red in the face. How could I tell how aroused I was feeling just now but had no one to share that arousal with! I snatched the book and hid it in my bag.

“Oh, she gets aroused. Just that she channels it when she is alone in her bed, fantasizing about the hero of the book,” Sri teased and laughed. I, who had just turned brick-red, screwed my face and sipped my water, seriously missing the vibrator that Sri had gifted me this year on my birthday.

“Maybe you can start fantasizing about him,” Raghu pointed. I looked at the object of my friends’ obsession. The man for whom they had been desperately waiting for hours was sitting with his back to us. I looked at him curiously for a moment, he had a rigid posture, dark blonde hair and a strong muscular body. The way his arms were flexing out of his shirt, I could tell that he worked out, a lot… my mouth watered and I cursed internally. Damn! Only if I hadn’t read that semi-erotic book a few minutes ago…

“Nope, not my type,” I shook my head and crossed my arms.

“He is everyone’s type. Just wait and watch…” Raghu winked. And as if it was on cue, the man shook hands with the three people he was entertaining today and stood up. Something in the way he got up made my heart skip a beat. There was a grace, masculinity, a sense of authority with which he made his every move. Slowly, without turning, he twisted his arm and picked up his coat and I couldn’t help but notice how firm and toned his biceps were, which were shining through his well-ironed white shirt.

I was still locked on his biceps when he turned and started to walk away. Sri and Raghu jumped out of their seats and hurried towards him.

“Sir… Sir… please, one moment,” Sri requested. She had deliberately chosen her most revealing dress – a black thigh-high, sequential dress. He stopped abruptly. His security moved forward to stop us ambushers, but he dismissed them.

“How can I help you?” he asked with a smile. Something in his smile said that he was not interested in her at all.

“We would like your autograph, sir,” Raghu added quickly and offered him his notebook to sign. He obliged. He turned to Sri to ask for her notebook too, but she was too busy ogling at him. He smiled again and started to leave.

“Damn!” Raghu hissed. Sri was supposed to ask him for the seat in the orientation, but she froze. This was so unlike her.

I, who really didn’t want to get involved at all, jumped to their rescue. “Excuse me, sir,” I spoke as I quickly rushed towards him. I was wearing sports shoes, yet I almost slipped. My actions didn’t go amiss as he gave me a curious look but continued to walk away.

“Sir, one second, please,” I ran and stopped roughly in front of him. I couldn’t help but notice that he gave me a very curious smile. To the normal world, I was an invisible girl. But his smile said otherwise. His smile said that he found me different, an object of fascination.

“And you are?” he asked simply.

“Arya, the friend,” I pointed towards my friends, who were standing dumbfounded.

“Sir, can I borrow your two minutes?” I requested.

“If you are willing to return them ten-fold,” he smiled mysteriously.

“What?” his words confused me. Why would he say something like that to me?

“What do you want?” he asked, curtly this time.

“My friends, they somehow missed on applying to your orientation program. They are the brightest of all, but they, stupid as they both are, mixed up the deadlines and missed. Can you please allow them? It is just two seats, please!”

His expressions changed suddenly. A hint of irritation flashed on his face now. He really wanted to yell at the two stupid college students who thought that ambushing him was the way to get a seat, but decided to maintain his façade.

“No, sorry. It is full,” he announced and started to walk again. I didn’t know what overtook me, maybe it was the thought that I had wasted six hours waiting for him in this restaurant and I wanted my time’s worth, but I persisted.

“Please sir,” I walked with him. “It’s just two seats. It won’t matter to you, but it would mean the world to them… sir, their career depends on it,” I kept on blabbering as I followed him outside. But he didn’t turn. He was annoyed now.

His security was now rounding up on me, so I saw my final opening and grabbed his arm. Yes, it was just as perfect as I had imagined. He stopped instinctively and turned. The force with which he moved was full of anger, and in one moment I was grabbing his arm, and I was in his arms in the next. I had slipped and he caught me just in time.

“You are stubborn,” he whispered, bending over me. Ideally, I would have straightened up, but something in his eyes caught me off-guard. His eyes were grey, and there was a luster, something I couldn’t put my finger upon, and there was something so mesmerizing in his gaze that I felt rooted in his arms.

Ironically, he also didn’t stand up. Bending over me, with one arm around my waist and another on my back, he was looking down at me, as if reading my face. His eyes lingered on mine for a long moment, then moved down to my lips, neck and then back to my eyes.

“I inherited my stubbornness from my father,” I replied coming back to my senses. I tried to stand straight, but he didn’t let me. A smile was flickering on his lips at my words and it stirred something in me. Something deep. Something raw.

This was the first time that I was so close to any man in my life and his proximity was ringing fire alarms in my head. I realized how strong he was and my mouth watered. I was grabbing his shoulder with one hand and neck with another. His shoulder felt just as firm as his arm did. I licked my lips to gain some control and he smiled. Was he feeling the same way? I wondered.

Sri and Raghu rushed to help me, finally! After all, I was fighting for their cause. “Are you okay?” Sri asked, interrupting the most beautiful moment of my life. Finally, he stood up straight and composed himself.

“She really wants you both to be in my orientation program,” he muttered, without taking his eyes off me. “I wonder, why are you not interested to join?” he asked as he continued to peer into my eyes.

I picked up my glasses that had fallen on the ground and put them back. I could sense a weak hesitation in his expressions but he didn’t reply. The way his shoulder flexed, I could tell he didn’t like that I was wearing my geeky but strong and sturdy glasses.

“I am an Arts student. Your program is in the finance domain,” I informed simply.

“Hmm…” he gave me a long searching look as if wondering what I desired. Could he tell by my look that I actually desired him? In the moment at least! And as if on cue, a smile flashed across his face. Yup! He knew what I desired.

“I will take you all in my session,” he announced and Sri and Raghu cheered.

“But…” I started, but the look he gave me quieted me instantly. It said ‘All or none’.

“Sir, even me?” I asked, thoroughly confused.

“Take it or leave it,” he shrugged and looked at Sri and Raghu.

“We all will be there, sir,” Sri stressed at the word ‘all’.

“Sir,” I started again. I didn’t know what I would do in a Finance orientation program but he raised his hand and spoke, “My assistant Jay here will take down your details. Don’t forget to be there at 7 am tomorrow. We don’t entertain late-comers,” this time he gave a shrewd glance to Sri and Raghu.

“We will be on time, sir,” Raghu stammered as he extended his hand for him to shake.

“Thank you, Sir,” I whispered.

He shook hands with Raghu and Sri, then offered his hand to me.

Considering how I had clung to him a few minutes ago, I should not feel smitten shaking hands with him, but I did. Gingerly, I took his hand and he wrapped his strong fingers around mine. He pulled me close, bent and whispered in my ears, “By the way, it’s Nathan. You should call me Nate,” and with this pronouncement he left, leaving me with a body covered in goose-bumps.

Nate, I whispered after him. Somehow that name tasted sweeter than every other syllable in the English dictionary.