Khushi pouted as she let the last bus to her home pass right in front of her eyes! She stamped her feet and raised her eyes to the heavens scolding her beloved Devi Maiyya!
"Hey Devi Maiyya! What is wrong with you? Apne hamare dimaag ki batti abhi kyo jalayi?!Now instead of going home I will have to look for the keys of my drawer again! The whole day I was so upset... I also ate half of my dupatta in this tension, and now suddenly I have remembered where I have kept the keys..."
Twirling her long plait around her fingers she made her way back to her office muttering grumpily, "You know Devi Maiyya Buaji will call me a thousand names when I go back...Sankadevi, Parmeswari, Titaliya, Bewakoof and what not...but I guess its better than being called those angreji names by Lavanyaji...dumb girl, clumsy girl..."
The durwan at the back door smiled at Khushi and asked her, "Arrey Khushididi have you forgotten something again?"
Khushi looked up at him and nodded her head absent-mindedly. She ran up the back stairs. The office was deserted and the lights were dimmed. She made her way in the dark and banged her foot against someone's desk and yelped. But with determination she hobbled to her cubicle! A happy smile lit her face! There it was right next to her Devi Maiyya's murti! Her shining stainless steel tiffin dabba(lunch box)! That is where she had hid the keys!
She hurriedly opened the tiffin dabba and lifted out the shining keys and raised it above her head and did a victory balle balle dance forgetting the nagging pain in her foot. She quickly unlocked her drawer and drew out few sheafs of paper with flourish! Here was the list of the rich and famous that Lavanyaji wanted to invite to her Annual Jewellery Show!
After all Lavanyaji was one of the leading jewellery designers of India! And she, Khushi Kumari Gupta was a proud employee! After all how many companies employed a girl fresh out of college! Babuji had to sell his sweet shop in Lucknow and Buaji's pension papers were still collecting dust in some government office! In such circumstances she was really grateful to Lavanyaji who had employed her as her P.A.! Lavanyaji was not a bad person, just short tempered! After all she was having to manage everything on her own. Though recently Khushi had heard some talk in the office about her looking for a partner in business...
And this job was indeed very important to her... Khushi's train of thoughts and what nots( was suddenly halted! Hey Devi Maiyya she thought she saw a shadow in Lavanyaji's room as she crossed it! She blinked her eyes! Was she seeing things! Lavanyaji had gone to Mumbai and would return by the last flight to Delhi! So who was in her room! Her mouth evolved into a longish O' and she clamped her palm on her mouth, her eyes growing wide like saucers!
The shadow in Lavanyaji's cabin was moving stealthily with a torch! No doubt searching for something! Stealing from Lavanyaji! Thief! Thief! she felt herself screaming but the sound was muffled! (After all she had been covering her mouth with her own hand!)
A poem she had once read in school flashed into her mind! The whole poem! How come she could not remember even half a line during her board examinations! And now it was chanting in her head, goading her to brave action!
Khub lari mardani, wo to Jhansiwali rani thi...
(The brave queen of Jhansi fought to save her kingdom from British occupation)
And Khushi Kumari Gupta felt inspired by the poem to strike down the enemy just like the Queen of Jhansi! She tiptoed towards Lavanyaji's cabin and adrenalin pumping in her veins, opened it with a loud thud! "You thief!" she shrieked at the same time!
"What the!" a voice exploded and Khushi stopped in her tracks, her face ashen as she realized suddenly that Jhansi ki Rani was not carrying her sword with her! The light in the room was dim but his presence seemed to fill the cabin!
He was tall with broad shoulders, well-toned muscles rippling under the fine material of his white shirt, his legs were long in his trousers and his shoes were definitely pure leather! Her last recollection of what a thief looked was the undernourished, skinny one who had tried to steal her quilt from her bedroom window! He had trembled with cold and fear when she had caught him red-handed and Khushi had felt so sorry for him that she had gifted the quilt to him after convincing her Jiji! Buaji had shouted at her of course but.. ah well...
But this guy! He was too good-looking and too well dressed and too strong! And he did not seem to be particularly ruffled by her sudden appearance! His thick dark hair was gelled, only a wisp had falling on his forehead, making him look like... and those brown glinting eyes...Khushi swallowed hard! He was inspecting her contours with lazy deliberation!Badtameez! But Khushi felt herself going red under his scrutiny!
The initial shocked look in his eyes at her entrance had been replaced by an amused look and his chiseled lips held a slight smirk! What if he attacked her! She visibly gulped the lump of terror in her throat! That seemed to amuse him further!
"Hey relax! I was supposed to meet Lavanya in her cabin!" he said approaching her slowly, watching her with hawk-like eyes!
Devi Maiyya give me courage Khushi thought licking her lips. "Then you should have known that she is not in Delhi!" she said trying to sound confident, congratulating herself for not withering under his scorching gaze!
"Well maybe you don't have all the information! I am expecting her here soon!" he said flicking his gaze at his wristwatch! A very expensive wristwatch at that Khushi noticed! The man had good taste which meant he was not an ordinary thief but a thief with class! Nevertheless he was a thief with some ulterior motive! He was on a secret mission to ruin Lavanyaji's work and that meant she would be unemployed soon!
No! Never! She couldn't lose this job! She would not allow this rakshash to take her job away! Her eyes flashed likeJhansi ki Rani again and she said haughtily, "Well, that is great! Let wait for Lavanyaji! You can then explain to her how you managed to open her personal safe! And if you can't do that then I will tell her what I saw you doing!"
His eyes fell on confidential the files that he had extracted from Lavanya's safe, which lay scattered before him. Khushi could see that he was visibly disturbed. The momentary silence was broken by the sound of stilettoes clicking on the polished floor outside the cabin. She was overjoyed! Was it Lavanyaji! He had also heard the sound and for a second his eyes became anxious much to Khushi's satisfaction and that stupid smirk was wiped off his face!
But then what happened was beyond Khushi's wildest imagination! He suddenly grabbed her arm and jerked her towards him! She landed on his rock hard chest, and suddenly she was breathless her heart racing in panic as his arms went around her waist and he drew her close...very close into him! She felt his hot breath on her face and opened her mouth to scream at the top of her lungs when his lips slammed on hers and crushed them into silence!
She became aware of the musky male smell of his after shave lotion and his lean muscular body, as he pressed into her, kissing her expertly...She struggled to control the electric shocks that seem to explode all over her wriggling body... wherever his body touched hers she felt electrocuted and alive...his fingers massaged her back gently, soothing her...his lips tortured her, worshipped her, possessed her... a wave of strange sweetness washed over her, drowning her in a pool of restless exhilarating energy flowing from his rough hungry lips into her very core...she felt herself melting against him...into the pit of his fire...for infinite indescribable moments...she was not in this world but soaring with the rainbows... lighting a thousand colouful diyas in the heavens above...
Arnav groaned in pleasure. What the hell was happening here! She was not the first woman he had kissed but this was unbelievable! Dammit! Focus Raizada! You can't jeopardize the mission! No, I am not! The more I put into the kiss the more convincing it will look to Lavanya he thought and then all thought faded away as Khushi moaned in pleasure...He felt himself shuddering against her, wanting her as his own like he had never wanted any woman before...
"Arnav!" Lavanya's voice cracked like a whip.
Khushi's body protested as he tore away his lips from her and pushed her away. There was something cold in the way he was looking at her now. Khushi felt bereft of sunshine and warmth all of a sudden. She shivered. And then she heard his steely voice as if from a distant saying, "Thank goodness you are here Lavanya! This employee of yours was trying to come on to me!"
Lavanya switched on the lights in the cabin and her eyes flashed red like her short red dress. "Why would she try to seduce you Arnav?"
"Because I caught her going through your confidential files!" Arnav snapped, looking accusingly at Khushi.
Khushi blinked rapidly at his devilishly handsome face! So his name was Arnav! What was he saying! That she... Khushi was trying to seduce him...she felt all blood draining from her body...she had shared her first kiss with a master thief who had undoubtedly tricked her...the kiss had left her groggy and thirsting for more but it meant nothing to him...she hated herself...she could never forgive herself for allowing this man to kiss her...
She had to let Lavanyaji know he was lying! "No, no Lavanyaji. It is a lie...it was the other way round..." Khushi stuttered but her mind went blank suddenly...
"Really?" Lavanya glared daggers at Khushi. "I had an appointment with him but you Khushi Kumari Gupta what are you doing in my cabin at this time of the night? Spying on me were you? Leaking out my jewellery designs to my rivals? Kissing Arnav Singh Raizada..my new business partner! This is too much! You are fired! Get lost!"
Arnav let out his breath in relief! His plan had worked! Lavanya Kashyap had fired her! Now there was no chance of her spilling the beans before Lavanya!
Khushi rushed out of the room stifling a sob! Her eyes were brimming with tears but she held her head high! At the door she turned and gave him a hateful look.
Arnav felt his insides ripping slowly, painfully!
Dammit CID Agent Raizada, he chided himself! What do you care! You are just doing your job for the nation! You have the reputation of being the most ruthless and heartless cop in town! So concentrate on Lavanya and her role in the recent jewel thefts and forget Khushi!
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
comment:
p_commentcount