“Then he just left?”
Rani heard the incredulity in her roommate and best friend Em’s voice. She nodded.
“What did he mean?” Em demanded.
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking you to translate man-speak for me.”
Em took a big gulp from her can of soda and Rani smiled, amused by her friend’s new lime-green hair. She was a pediatric oncology resident and she changed her hair color every time she discharged a patient. The other kids who remained on the unit picked the color. It was her way of giving them hope.
Rani held out a black dress in front of her. Em shook her head. “Do you have anything that’s not black and conservative?”
Rani frowned. Sadly she didn’t. It had been two years since she’d really been out on a date. Not that this is a date. The only clothes she had were business-appropriate.
Em went to her own room and returned with a strappy red dress. Rani shook her head. “That’ll send the wrong message.”
“And what message are you trying to send?”
Rani stepped into the black dress Em had rejected and studied her image in the mirror. The simple shift looked proper and boring and very businesslike. She thought of Vanessa and the other women from Arjun’s office.
“I want to show him that I can be sexy. But I want to make it clear this is not a date.”
Em raised a brow then walked out of the room. She returned a few minutes later and slipped a sparkly necklace around Rani’s neck that fell between her breasts and handed her a pair of dangly earrings. She began pulling the pins out of Rani’s chignon.
“What are you doing?” Rani protested, ineffectively batting Em’s hands away.
Em fluffed Rani’s hair, then pointed at the mirror.
Rani had to admit the effect was pretty good. Her shiny shoulder-length black hair fell in waves, naturally curly from being tied up all day. She put on the earrings. “You don’t think this is too unprofessional?”
Em smacked her hand on her forehead. “I thought we were going for business sexy!”
Rani blew out a sigh and sat on the bed. “I should’ve canceled.”
“Rani, it’s been forever since you did something fun. Why don’t you stop overanalyzing and just go out and have a good time. You love Russell Peters. Have a few laughs, enjoy the company of a handsome, intelligent man and let things happen naturally.”
“I can’t let anything happen. He’s a client. If I get the contract to design his full hotel, it’ll set me up on the fast track to start my own firm. I can’t risk all of that for...for...”
“Toe-curling sex?”
Rani nodded, too embarrassed to say it out loud.
“I’ve known you since high school. Not once have you done anything risky. You were a virgin when you got married. Probably the only one in our entire school. Somehow I don’t see you losing your panties tonight. But if you wanted to, there’s nothing wrong with it. This is Vegas. You know how the saying goes.”
Rani smiled. Em placed both hands on Rani’s shoulders, her slate-gray eyes serious. “Every day I deal with children who would give anything just to go outside and play, eat ice cream and do the simple things that you and I take for granted. You’ve been living with an enormous weight on your shoulders. First your parents’ expectations, then your in-laws’. When have you ever lived? When have you done something that brings you joy?”
“It’s easier said than done.”
Em fluffed Rani’s hair a little more. “I know you’re worried about your career, but you’re not in the same situation as you were two years ago. There’s no one out to get you.”
Before Rani could think about it any longer, there was a knock on the door. Her apartment building was too low-rent to have a working buzzer, so the residents frequently propped open the front door to the building, letting anyone off the street just walk in.
“That’s Arjun. He’s right on time! I need shoes!” Rani said, panicked.
“Go let him in. I’ll get you heels.”
Rani opened the door to find Arjun standing there, ready to take her breath away. He wore his usual perfectly cut black suit, but his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing a hint of chest hair. His face was freshly shaven and she hoped that if she stepped closer, she might catch a whiff of that intoxicating smell from last night.
“Wow, Rani, you look beautiful.”
She blinked. “Um, thank you. I’m ready to go, I just need...”
She looked down to see that Em had surreptitiously placed a pair of red-and-black heels near her feet. There is no way I can wear those shoes. She looked around for the sensible ones she wore with her business suit and noted they were gone from their usual place.
“Your purse,” Em whispered.
“Is that your flat mate?” Arjun asked.
Em stepped forward. “Emmaline Roberts. Nice to meet you.”
“Arjun Singh.”
“I don’t want to keep you two. I know it’s hard to squeeze dinner in before a show.” Then, turning away, from Arjun, Em mouthed, “He’s hot. Go for it.”
Rani put on the red-and-black heels, wondering how long it would be before she took an embarrassing spill.
She teetered down the stairwell to Arjun’s waiting car, wondering what he must think of her. Vanessa probably did jumping jacks in her four-inch heels.
Rani had picked an upscale Malaysian restaurant for dinner, and she filled the silence in the car by telling him about the chef and the menu. “This particular chef combines not just Indian, Chinese and Thai flavors but also uses a lot of African and Arabian spices.”
“It sounds right up my alley.”
“I know.”
“You were quite thorough in researching me.”
“Everything I know about you is what you allow the media to report.”
He raised an eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth lifted up in a look so sexy that Rani found it hard to breathe. “That’s right, Ms. Gupta.”
“So, how about telling me something real.”
“Well, you’ve read about all my favorite foods. What you don’t know is that I like cooking the dishes myself.”
He cooks? Arjun Singh had grown up with the kind of wealth and privilege that most people could only dream of. He’d been surrounded by servants all his life. She couldn’t imagine him doing something as domestic as cooking a meal.
They arrived at the restaurant and were seated immediately. Rani was pleasantly surprised since it was a popular place and the bar was packed with waiting customers. They were shown to a quiet table in a back room where there were only two other couples seated. Rani wondered if that was why they hadn’t had to wait: they were being shown to the loser seats.
Arjun didn’t seem to mind, so she didn’t say anything. They shared an appetizer of mango and tofu salad, then moved on to a family-style dinner of roti canai, chili chicken, crispy squid and Singapore noodles. They talked about their favorite foods, movies, TV shows and books. Rani discovered that Arjun was a fellow fan of political and psychological thrillers.
They shared mango sticky rice for dessert. Arjun put his hands up when the check came and Rani deftly set down the RKS business card, guiltily realizing she’d forgotten it was a business dinner. They hadn’t talked about work at all.
Arjun had secured box seats for the show, giving them a bird’s-eye view of the stage, where an opening act band was playing. “What, no front row seats?” Rani quipped. Arjun shook his head. “Comedians always pick on the front row, and then your embarrassment can live in perpetuity on social media.”
Rani hadn’t even thought about that. “It must be really hard for you to constantly worry about the media.”
He nodded.
“At the restaurant, they purposely sat us in the back room?”
He smiled sheepishly. “Before I go out, my assistant always calls the restaurant to make sure there won’t be any reporters, and to secure seats in a private section, if possible.”
Rani couldn’t fathom living that way. “So Venkat was overseeing the VIP section yesterday?” she quipped.
“Impromptu dinners are different. And Venkat keeps an eye out for anything shady.” As they settled into the conversation, Rani found herself relaxing. Truth be told, this was the best date she’d had in her life.
She mentally slapped herself. This isn’t a date, Rani! When a waiter appeared and took drink orders from them, she asked for sparkling water. This was a work dinner, after all. But what if it could be more than that?
Arjun’s phone buzzed just as the waiter set down their drinks. He looked at the text to see it was another one from Hema. Whatever you said to your mom didn’t work. She’s in full scale Diwali/engagement party planning mode. Do something! Arjun clenched his teeth. Hema was a grown woman. Why couldn’t she just tell her parents she wasn’t ready to get married? His phone buzzed again, this time with a text from Divya. Arjun hit the Do Not Disturb setting on his phone. He deserved a night of peace.
“Where did you disappear to?” Rani’s soft voice broke through his reverie, drowning out the sound of the warm-up comedian who was introducing himself on stage. Arjun tried to give her his fake smile but stopped short when he looked into her eyes.
She reached over and touched his hand, which was on the armrest between them. Her touch was soft and delicate and immediately calmed the storm raging inside him. He dealt with thousands of problems each day and none of them twisted him up in knots like his family did.
“Are you okay?” Rani asked.
The changing stage lights threw seductive shadows across her face, and he felt himself gazing into her dark eyes. He’d always thought she was beautiful but tonight she looked spectacular. He knew she wasn’t wearing a designer dress, and if he had to guess, she probably hadn’t spent all day at the beauty salon getting her hair and makeup done. Yet she looked more stunning than any woman he’d ever met. Those heels that she clearly hated showed off her long, shapely legs and the way her hair framed her face made him want to weave his fingers into it. She was looking at him with such intensity, it seemed she could see into his soul.
“Just family drama,” he said, surprising himself. He pulled his hand away from hers before he was tempted to take things further. Last night when he’d said goodbye in the car, he’d felt such an urgent need to kiss her that he’d almost canceled their plans tonight. He prided himself on always being in control.
He took a sip of the neat whiskey he’d ordered, hoping the raw burn down his throat would bring him back to his senses and shake loose an idea on how to deal with his family.
“Tell me about it.” Rani leaned in close to him, and he caught a whiff of her vanilla scent.
Where do I start? With Divya or Hema? Hema was a not a problem to solve. She was an obligation he had to come to terms with. “My sister Divya has been offered a job in Jaipur and wants to take it, but that’s not done in our family.”
“Why not?”
He shifted in his chair.
“What I mean is, what is your parents’ specific concern beyond the fact that it’s not the tradition? The parampara?”
He looked at her in surprise. She gets it.
“I think they fear that if she’s financially independent, she won’t follow the house rules.” Even as he said the words, he realized how horrible it sounded. “You have to understand that my parents are doing what they think is best for her.”
“They’re trying to control her.”
“They are trying to protect her.”
“I don’t think we’ll agree on that point. So what do you plan to do?”
“I’m thinking of secretly increasing her allowance. That way she can buy what she wants without having to ask my parents’ permission. That’s how this whole job thing started. She wanted to buy a car for herself and they questioned her spending.”
Rani shook her head. “You’re not understanding her.”
He frowned. While he wanted Rani’s perspective, she didn’t know Divya. Arjun talked to Divya almost every day. How could Rani be so confident in saying he didn’t understand his sister?
“Divya doesn’t want to work just to buy things. She wants to work to have a sense of purpose, of independence. To do something meaningful with her life. I don’t think you can appreciate what it’s like for an intelligent person to sit at home all day with nothing to do. It’s maddening.”
“She has lots of things to do. There is staff to manage, social events to plan, charity work. My mother is always complaining about how busy she is.”
“But those aren’t things that satisfy a young, educated woman who doesn’t want to be a socialite. She wants do something that is uniquely hers, and have control over some aspect of her life.”
“It seems you’re speaking from personal experience.”
She nodded. “My ex-husband’s family didn’t have your kind of wealth but they were comfortable. My in-laws asked me to quit my job, which I foolishly did. My days were filled with shopping and social events that I couldn’t care less about. I’m guessing your sister lives a similar life. Working is not about the money, it’s about independence. Of the many things I lost during my marriage, the one I lament the most is my career. I was almost at the point of making senior architect at RKS when I left. After the divorce, I had to start at the bottom of the junior level because I’d been out of the game so long. Divya doesn’t want to become obsolete.”
Arjun spread his hands. “So what do you suggest I do? My mother will not agree to let her get a job. I’ve already tried to convince her and she is firm on this point.”
“What is Divya qualified to do?”
“She studied law.”
Rani chewed her lip, and he found himself staring at her. “Your business is big enough that you surely need lawyers.”
He nodded. “Of course. I have a couple in every city that we have a hotel.”
“So hire her for your legal team in the Jaipur office.”
“Jaipur is an hour away from our home.”
“Do you do the commute?”
He rubbed his neck. It could work. “We have a trusted driver who could take her every day.”
It was a nice idea. His brother, Sameer, had no interest in working for the family business, and Arjun could use a trusted person to take on some of the responsibilities of the company while he was in Vegas. He was tired of having to wake up in the middle of the night to get on the phone with someone in India.
“It’s a potential solution. Thank you, Rani.”
The crowd became louder as the warm-up act wrapped up and introduced Russell Peters. Rani started laughing at one of the jokes. Arjun hadn’t heard it. All he could focus on was the way her mouth crinkled, and the happy sound of her giggles and laughter. He’d been with a fair number of women in the last several years; all of them had been socialites who clearly understood that he wasn’t looking for an emotional attachment. His relationships were always physical. None of them had made him want to connect emotionally like this.
“Am I really more amusing than the comedian?” Rani turned to him, grinning.
He smiled sheepishly. “You certainly are more beautiful.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. He took a breath to keep from leaning over and kissing her irresistible lips. As if reading his mind, she suddenly snapped her head back towards the stage. He took a long slug from his glass of whiskey.
So what if we work together? The project would be over in less than six months and he’d be returning to India to a lifetime of obligation. If she was attracted to him too, what was wrong with a brief affair? He knew how to be discreet; he would protect Rani, and make sure there would be no fallout for her at RKS. After all, what happened in Vegas could stay in Vegas.