Trouble Has a New Name (8 page)

‘Bad.’ What was the point in delaying it any further? she thought grimly.

‘Interesting choice.’ He cocked an eyebrow. ‘I’m afraid I can’t offer you a neat solution all tied up with a pretty pink ribbon.’

Well, no surprises there!
She now had it on record he was unavailable for the role of her knight in shining armour after all! ‘And the good news?’

‘I promise you that the Sid-Karisma-Aziz problem will disappear like that.’ He snapped his fingers. ‘There won’t be a whisper of a scandal.’

Before she could ask anything else, he cut in swiftly. ‘I have already set the plan in motion.’

Try as she might, she couldn’t think of any way to get out of this messy situation. Her mind buzzed like a bee on steroids as it played out a dozen ‘what if?’ scenarios. She shouldn’t expect him to untangle the mess, which was totally of her own making. Come to think of it, why was he even bothering to help her?

‘What’s in it for you?’ she blurted out.

There! At last she had managed to wipe that smug smile off his face!

He took a deep breath. ‘Two things… First, many of the guests attending this wedding are fanatical when it comes to guarding their privacy. And there’s no way I
will let some overambitious Bollywood starlet and her upstart boyfriend ruin the launch of my resort. Does that make sense to you?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, of course—you are safeguarding the reputation of your resort. What’s the second reason?’

He pulled her up close against his chest. Her soft breasts were crushed against his rock-hard chest. She wasn’t sure whether the heart she could feel beating swiftly was hers or his. His delicious scent enveloped her, driving every thought out of her mind. Beyond the hard glint in his eyes she saw something else—smouldering passion. The air around them thinned and her breathing grew shallow.

‘Second, I haven’t had a moment’s peace since last evening. All I have been thinking of is—you.’ Neel’s gruff voice made her senses spin out of control. His thumb caressed her cheek slowly as his grey eyes bored into hers. She was totally powerless to stop his sensual assault. The urge to resist him melted away as his head lowered and he pressed his lips onto hers in a bruising kiss. Hot molten desire swirled through her as his tongue swept into her mouth and tangled with hers.

‘Rayna!’ he groaned. His mouth moved to explore first her earlobe, then the sensitive spot between her collarbones before finding its way to her cleavage. She was lost in the exhilarating new sensations pounding through her body. She leaned towards him and felt his hand slip under her blouse and cup her breast. As his fingers gently teased one lace-covered nipple, heat rushed into the centre of her femininity. A soft moan escaped her lips and he captured her mouth with renewed vigour.

Neel was spinning some kind of magic with his
mouth and hands and her blood pumped fast and furious. His thigh pressed hard between her legs and she found herself clinging to him like a vine. Alarm bells rang in her passion-fogged brain.
This was going too fast!
She needed to put some distance between them. She pushed against his chest and scrambled away from him, heading for the villa. By the time she had made it, he was hot on her heels. She didn’t think she could resist him for much longer. She wanted him too badly.

She heard the door slam shut behind her moments before he reached out and pulled her back into his arms. He swivelled her around to face him. His eyes were hot with passion and his Scotch-tinged breath was driving her crazy with desire.

‘Tell me you don’t feel exactly like I do right now.’ His husky voice made her ache with pleasure and her mind was in danger of shutting down. He pulled her around and she found herself pressed against the door. He leaned into her and kissed her with a ferocious hunger. Heat trammelled inside her as the sensation of his hard lean body against hers fuelled the fire within. As if of their own volition, her fingers tore at his shirt and she heard the buttons pop.

His hands were all over her, tugging her blouse from her shoulders, caressing her hot skin till she felt she would go up in flames. His eyes moved to her swollen breasts, spilling out of her lacy bra, and she heard his breath catch. ‘God, Rayna, you’re so beautiful.’

He pulled off his shirt and flung it to the floor before fondling her breasts with such reverence her breath came in gasps. Unclipping her bra, he took one hard nipple in his mouth and suckled. The sweet shock that hit her made her spine arch with longing. With one hand he
held both her arms above her as his tongue teased first one nipple, then the other. Her breasts ached and her thighs trembled as another fiery wave of desire coursed through her. A matching desire sparked in his eyes and she felt his erection against her legs. She was in danger of coming undone.

‘Neel!’ she gasped.

She tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed her body closer to his. In a flash he swept her up in his arms and climbed up the stairs two at a time to the bedroom. Setting her down on the luxury cotton covers that draped over the bed, his fingers were back to weaving their magic on her overheated skin, making her twitch involuntarily.

‘Sensitive, eh?’ he teased.

Lying down next to her, he rolled her on top of him. She knew instinctively he was slowing down, giving her more space. The soft hair on his hard chest tickled her breasts, shooting yet another delicious shiver down her spine. She shimmied down his length and heard him suck his breath in. A tiny prickle of delight ran through her. So she was not the only one having trouble with control.

‘Is this what you have been fantasising about?’ she whispered.

He laughed and held her hips down so she felt joined to his. ‘Don’t go there unless you’re ready to deal with the consequences.’

Her hands revelled in the feel of the hard planes of his chest. She liked that his toned body was all lean muscle without the perfection of six-pack abs. She’d always found the appearance of steroid-pumped muscles too synthetic—the male equivalent of fake boobs.

‘Is that a challenge or what?’ she asked as she kissed the corner of his mouth. Her lower body tingled deliciously as his hardness throbbed against her.

He deftly captured her lips with his. She clutched on to him like a lifeline. He dipped his tongue into her mouth and heat poured into every crevice of her body. Just as she thought her body could not bear the sweet sexy torture any more he pulled his lips from hers and gazed at her with those slate-grey eyes. She came up for air and pushed herself away, tugging at the waistband of his jeans. As she fumbled with the zip he asked, ‘Need some help?’

She laughed a bit self-consciously, leaned closer and tasted his skin just above the waistband. His muscles tightened in instant reaction and he muttered a soft oath.

A surge of power rushed through her. ‘I will let you know when I need help. I want to see you in the buff as well.’ Her thick voice sounded strange to herself. She couldn’t believe she had said it out loud.

He groaned. ‘This is what happens when you tell a girl about your most embarrassing moment.’

‘Whatever. Seems like
you’re
not ready to deal with the consequences.’

She pretended to move away and his arm came up in a flash, holding her close to him. His breath rasped against her lips. ‘You are one hell of a tease. So, are you ready for the show?’

In one fluid movement he was up on his feet.
Oh, man!
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the effect of their sensual games—his pants were literally straining at the crotch.

She had never done this before—this flirtatious sexy romp in bed—and she didn’t know why, but it
felt so right with Neel. She leaned back on the pillow and watched as he unzipped his trousers. No muss. No fuss. Just stunningly sexy!

‘Now, your turn,’ she heard him say as she dived for cover under the soft quilt. She shrieked with laughter as he came in right after her.

S
LEEP HAD FLED
from Rayna’s eyes. She tiptoed out of the room and onto the veranda. The stillness of the balmy night was broken by the sounds of the sea in the distance. Settling into the cosy swing seat, she looked up at the starlit sky. All she could think of was the cosmic sex she had shared with Neel. With Sid it had been a whole different experience, and not an overly pleasant one at that. All through their relationship she had strenuously avoided getting intimate with him and, the few times they had, it had been like pulling teeth. She had always had a sneaky feeling that sex was overrated and her experience with Sid had kind of confirmed it. But Neel had come along and blown the theory away into the Indian Ocean.

Was it only a couple of days ago she had been dumped, depressed and drunk? All it had taken was a fling with the handsome hotelier to flush Sid out of her system. Who knew she would actually enjoy sex so much? True, Neel was completely gorgeous and lust-worthy but, in the aftermath of their torrid lovemaking, the holiday-fling-as-therapy theory didn’t seem such a great idea after all, even if she was helping him to save the reputation of his resort at the same time. Emotional
detachment was what she needed but could she achieve it, given that her heart lurched like a chimpanzee on a trapeze every time Neel strode into her field of vision?

The door to the balcony swished open and there he stood, gorgeously naked except for a pair of hip-hugging shorts. He was such a joy to ogle, cackled her traitorous chimp-like heart. She really needed to crack the whip and get that recalcitrant organ of hers to behave!

‘Thinking of me?’ He plonked down next to her, his thigh brushing hers, sparking an instant flame inside her.

She squirmed. ‘Don’t flatter yourself. I just couldn’t sleep—the room was freezing!’

‘I think you’re in need of some warming up.’ He pulled her onto his lap. Her back was against his chest and she nestled comfortably into his lean length. ‘And I know just how to do it.’

Neel flicked his tongue along the back of her neck. Butterflies swooped down into the pit of her stomach and matched their moves with the dancing chimp.

‘Really?’ Her voice was breathless. ‘I thought maybe you needed your beauty sleep to get your strength back.’ She wriggled in his lap. She didn’t know whether she was trying to get away or make herself more comfortable but all the moving and shaking was only making her hot as hell. His erection burnt her skin through the flimsy barrier of their garments and she wanted to rip them away.
O Ma Go!

‘You have turned me into Superman, sweetheart,’ he rasped in her ear as the swing seat rocked to the rhythm of their bodies.

That sounded infinitely promising. Why don’t you just get on with it then, Superman?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when he acted upon it. He turned her around deftly so that she was straddling him. His lips found hers with unerring precision. The soft caresses of his large hands and the skilful manner in which his mouth plundered hers soon had her climbing dizzy heights. She was walking among the stars scattered like diamonds across the night sky. And yet at the same time she was grounded by the sensual needs of her body. Neel pleasured her with his mouth and fingers in the most intimate way till she found exquisite release from the sweet torture. As her mind returned to earth from the stratospheric levels she knew he too was close to breaking point.

‘Rayna, I can’t hold on any more,’ he rasped as he got up swiftly and dragged her to her feet. Sweeping her up in his arms, he strode towards the bedroom. She entwined her arms around his neck and buried her face under his chin. Putting her down on the bed, he turned to the nightstand and pulled out a condom. Every moment was agonisingly long. Her exquisite body was primed for him. His gaze darted to her and his fingers fumbled briefly before he ripped the foil open and rolled the condom on.

‘Are you ready for Superman?’ Even though his tone was light his smouldering eyes made it clear that he was as consumed by the throes of passion as her.

Oh, yes!
Every nerve end screamed for his touch. As he entered her swiftly, she was swept away by the frenzy of desire that had started a thrumming, throbbing beat inside her. Their bodies rocked to the sweet sound of their inner orchestra and the rapture of it blew them both away. In the afterglow of that super-sensational sex Rayna was floating on air. A blissful
state where nothing mattered except the senses. The physical boundaries of skin, bone and muscle melted away, leaving her with a sensory, evanescent connection with Neel. She had never felt so close to anyone in her life. Savouring the moment, her eyes shut out the world and a deep, dreamless sleep claimed her.

Neel woke up feeling restless and warm all over. A soft smile tugged at his lips as his eyes focused on Rayna curled up against him, her lustrous hair spread like an auburn halo on his chest. She had one leg wrapped around him and his libido fired up instantly. He relished the thought of waking her up with kisses and watching her become all aroused and hot for him. She was the only woman who had the ability to completely demolish his self-control. He had gone without sex for long stretches but never before had he felt like a teenager with rampaging hormones. All it took was a certain look, a soft touch, a whispered word from her—and he was lighting up like a firecracker. At this rate, he was going to be a physical wreck! What surprised him even more than his trigger-happy libido was the teasing, playful nature of their lovemaking. He loved her flirty, teasing ways in bed and he enjoyed playing with her, seeing her beautiful eyes light up with passion midway through the laughter. He felt an insane desire to see them all honey-and-passion-drenched right now.

The insistent buzz of his phone was an intrusion he did not relish. Tempted to ignore it, he glanced at the name flashing on the screen.
Shiva.
With a sigh, he pulled away from Rayna, taking care not to wake her up, and left the room.

‘Good morning, Shiva!’ he barked as he walked
out onto the balcony. The azure-blue of the ocean was spread out as far as he could see. ‘Did you find anything?’

‘Yes, I have transferred all the JPG files onto a pen drive and taken printouts,’ replied Shiva.

Neel contemplated his next move. ‘Good, see you in the conference room in fifteen. Make sure he’s there—waiting for me.’

He snapped the phone shut. He would have to forgo his morning run on the beach. There just wasn’t enough time for that. Not if he wanted to control the damage that had already begun to set in. When he had confronted Maya, she had been profusely apologetic about not vetting the final guest list with him. Karisma had threatened to cancel her show if she didn’t add Sid and Aziz’s names to the list. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Maya had been left with no choice. But there was no point fretting over it now.

It was crisis management time. He had worked too long and hard to realise his dream of setting up this resort. Any adverse publicity would be disastrous and bad news travelled fast. If that happened, he might as well bury his dream of turning Nirvana on the Beach into the most-preferred destination of high-profile global travellers.

He stormed into the bathroom for a shave and shower, his mind furiously working on his plan of action.

Rayna was up and she stretched languidly as he got dressed. All his resolve very nearly dissolved at the enchanting sight.

‘Up already?’ she said huskily.

Rayna couldn’t take her eyes off him. His freshly showered hair curled at the edges of the collar as he
pulled on a shirt. Desire thrummed inside her as the heady scents of soap, cologne and testosterone filled her nostrils. His lean hips were modestly covered by a soft fluffy towel and she toyed with the idea of pulling it away and teasing him back into bed.

Before she could put her thoughts into action, he came across the room swiftly, folded her in his arms and kissed her soundly. She tasted the sharp minty flavour of his toothpaste as she rolled her tongue in his mouth. Instantly, his arousal nudged her through the fabric of the towel.

‘Uh-huh—’ he pulled away reluctantly ‘—that’s all you will get for now, my sweet little temptress.’

He fought the urge to give in to the promise of heaven in her eyes. ‘Get your pretty ass out of bed and get ready for the shoot.’

‘Slave driver!’ She exhaled dramatically as she flopped back on the pillows. ‘Here I was, dreaming of lazing around in all this luxury!’

Her mobile phone trilled and he said, ‘Have to rush now. Let’s meet up for breakfast in an hour from now, yes?’

Rayna looked at her mobile and mouthed, ‘It’s Milee.’

Neel needed to focus on the job at hand and Rayna was too much of a distraction. He dressed quickly and made his way out of the villa, but not before he had kissed Rayna thoroughly, rudely interrupting her conversation with Milee.

The inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee assailed him as he pushed open the frosted glass door to the conference room. Responding to Shiva’s greeting, he looked across the room to find a groggy and grouchy Aziz Shah slumped on the sofa.

‘Mr Arora, why I have been summoned?’

‘Perhaps you would like some coffee before we get down to business?’ Neel’s polite words had an edge of steel. ‘I need you to be very alert for what I have to tell you.’

Shah sat up a little straighter. Shiva placed two cups of coffee and a tray with cream, sugar and a few cookies before them.

‘Thanks, Shiva. Mr Shah, do you take sugar and cream?’

‘No. I like it black and bitter. What is this all about?’

Neel’s mouth curved in a sarcastic smile as he handed Shah a cup of black coffee before stirring a spoon of sugar in his own. ‘Shiva, would you please show Mr Shah the photos that you have?’

Shiva shook out some large colour prints from a yellow envelope and spread them on the tabletop. Shah stared at the pictures, puzzled, before recognition and anger made the creases on his forehead furrow deeper. ‘Where did you get these?’

‘Don’t you recognise these photographs?’ Neel sipped his coffee calmly.

‘What?’ Shah’s mouth twisted in anger and he nearly spilled his coffee in agitation.

Amusement danced in Neel’s eyes. ‘Coffee too bitter for you?’

‘You went through my personal things? How dare you invade—’

‘Your privacy?’ Neel cut him short as he placed his cup on the polished teak table with barely controlled force. ‘That’s rich coming from someone who makes his living by invading other people’s privacy.’

Shah lost his voice at the menace in Neel’s cold eyes.

‘You’ve been invited here as a guest and not as a professional photographer. Besides, you were warned not to take pictures on my premises.’

‘But these are for my private collection only. Trust me, I’m not planning to sell them.’

‘I don’t
trust
people who make their living by taking pictures on the sly and selling them to gossip magazines. These have been shot with a telephoto lens and clearly you have not sought permission to shoot them. I have given you adequate warning and yet you have chosen to abuse my hospitality. The chopper will be ready to fly you to Port Blair airport in twenty minutes. Your flight to Mumbai will leave in a couple of hours. Is that right, Shiva?’

Shiva nodded. ‘Yes, sir. Mr Shah’s bags are packed and have already been boarded onto the chopper.’

‘Excellent!’ Neel smiled. ‘Have a safe flight.’

Aziz’s voice betrayed his shock. ‘You’re throwing me out?’

‘You should be glad I haven’t instructed the pilot to dump you in the ocean,’ Neel threw at him casually.

Aziz recovered his composure and shrugged. ‘Fine…but you know what…I’ve still got my scoop. The first of a three-part feature comes out this evening in
Celebrity Times.
It will focus on Rayna’s break-up with Sid. The second part will have all the juicy details about her hitching up with you, with some sexy pictures of you two in a clinch, and the third article will be about Sid, Rayna’s dumped heartbroken lover, making his debut as director of Karisma’s film. Nice, no?’

A nerve jerked in Neel’s jaw as he controlled his urge to rip Aziz off the sofa and slam him through the
window. He exhaled slowly. ‘Anything else you would like to tell me?’

An exultant Aziz all but pumped his fists in the air. ‘That’s more than enough—don’t you think so?’

‘You’re right. I have had enough of you and your sneaky ways.’ Neel’s face remained impassive as he continued. ‘By the way, I hope you have a very good lawyer to represent you because you can expect to hear from mine soon. And here’s another piece of advice—better start looking for another career because your measly income from freelance photography will not be able to cover the legal expenses.’

Aziz turned pale at the threat. Neel looked at Shiva, who handed him a couple of typed sheets.

Neel pushed them towards Aziz. ‘Hope you recognise your signature. Because this is what you signed when you checked in.’ Aziz stared at the page blankly as Neel jabbed a finger at the page. ‘Clause number three clearly states photographs taken at this event are not for dissemination in the public domain and you can be prosecuted legally if you breach that clause.’

Rayna made her way to the coffee shop and found it almost deserted. Piling her plate high with an assortment of fruits, she sat down at a corner table to eat her breakfast. The morning had started on a warm and fuzzy note, topped up by the sizzling-hot kiss. All she had wanted was to stay in bed and make sweet love to Neel.

A fling with Neel was the best thing that could happen to her. Milee’s jaw had nearly dropped open when she’d made the declaration and recounted the real reason for Neel’s impromptu engagement announcement. After the initial shock had worn off, Milee was spewing
venom at Sid for using Rayna to further his own career. She even threatened to have him and his ‘filmy floozy’—Rayna chuckled at her friend’s description of Karisma—thrown out of the resort right away. But Rayna calmed her down—after all, Karisma was here to perform at the wedding reception. And it just wasn’t worth it to upset the wedding celebrations at this late stage.