Rani anxiously paced the marble-floored lobby of Arjun’s office. Will he attend the meeting? It was a question she hadn’t been able to get a straight answer to. It had been two weeks since the reception. Since the moment when he’d really come close to her, when she’d felt something she didn’t know she could experience: desire. Even now, standing in the cool lobby with its funky wall art and bright white lighting, the thought of him made her warm all over.
What happened at the RKS party? They’d been having a nice conversation but then all of a sudden he’d said goodbye and walked out. The next day, Vanessa Knott had emailed to say she would be Rani’s primary contact. While Rani didn’t expect Arjun to be involved with every little detail, he seemed to have disappeared.
What did I do wrong?
Had he read her mind that night? Seen her studying him? Lusting after him?
She’d slept fitfully the entire week. She was either tossing and turning, thinking about seeing him again, or dreaming of Arjun when she was asleep. Dreaming was the wrong word. Fantasizing. She had woken up hot, with an ache that screamed for relief. In all her research, there wasn’t a single picture of him shirtless, yet in her dreams he had appeared naked.
What is wrong with me? She was acting like a horny teenager. Then she thought back to the advice her mother had given her the night before her wedding. Sex is something women endure to hold on to their husbands and have children. Like a good Indian girl, Rani had saved herself for marriage, but she wasn’t uneducated. At the time Rani had thought about how traditional and reserved her Indian mother was, and felt sorry for her. But after five years of marital relations with Navin, she realized that her mother’s advice had been very sage. It wasn’t that the sex had been bad, it just hadn’t been good enough to inspire sleepless nights. Navin had always said that she was sexually repressed. She figured that either years of her parents’ inhibitions had seeped into her, or the fact that she hadn’t lost her virginity in high school like all her friends had retarded her sexual growth.
So what’s happening all of a sudden?
Whatever was going on with her, she would push it aside. Navin and his traditional Indian family had given her a lifetime of wounds to contend with. She wasn’t going to get romantically involved with another Indian man. Ever. And the fact that Arjun was her client made it all the more dangerous. She was so close to achieving her career dreams, she wouldn’t risk it for some sexual satisfaction.
“Sorry for the wait. Here you go.” A security guard swiped his badge against a panel on the wall and led her into a private elevator. Rani checked her reflection in the stainless steel doors as they closed. She was wearing her standard black suit but had bought a silky pink blouse to wear underneath. She’d gained some weight with the stress of the last few years and the only clothes that fit her were her shapeless shirts. The new shirt was her one splurge to celebrate her new salary. Standing straight, she squared her shoulders. She looked good. Her makeup and hair were perfect, her suit was crisp.
I’m a professional woman, and I’m going to act like it.
She was sick of begging for well-deserved promotions at RKS. Arjun’s hotel would put her on the map. She hadn’t dared dream big, not with her reputation still shadowed by the incident two years ago, but Arjun’s hotel would change everything. She’d be the architect who succeeded where the best had failed. There was no other choice but to be totally professional with Arjun.
No more drooling over his dimple.
When the elevator stopped, she braced herself. She stepped into a polished foyer that featured an oval table with a giant vase filled with fragrant fresh flowers. The only other furniture was two pairs of stylishly rugged leather chairs. The walls were the palest shade of blue. There was no reception desk, but a screen touch pad invited people to check in. It was minimalist but warm, modern yet comfortable. Rani knew these were rented offices, but she could clearly see Arjun’s style showing through.
“Good afternoon, Rani. I’m Vanessa Knott.”
Rani looked up to see a young woman dressed in an elegant white shift dress with high nude-colored heels. They had talked and emailed several times a day for the past two weeks. She’d pictured someone petite and librarian-like but Vanessa was tall, elegant and looked like she’d just stepped out of a Sex in the City episode. Rani didn’t want to think about how frumpy she looked in comparison.
Is Vanessa also Arjun’s style?
Rani shook hands with the other woman. “Come, we are all eagerly awaiting your presentation in the conference room,” Vanessa said crisply.
Did the “all” include a certain hottie? Rani’s heart thudded hard inside her chest.
Beyond the gleaming waiting room was a more traditional office setup. A maze of cubicles filled the center of the space and offices lined the periphery. The sounds of typing and muted voices filled the air.
They walked into a glass-walled conference room where a dozen people were already seated. It took her less than a second to lock eyes with Arjun. He stood when she entered. She bit her lip and willed strength into her legs as she crossed the room to shake hands with him. He gave her a small smile. “Welcome, Ms. Gupta.”
It’s Ms. Gupta now?
“Please call me Rani,” she said, bemused. The grin he shot back told her he’d done that on purpose and it had the desired effect of setting her at ease. Once again he was impeccably dressed in a gray suit and a blue shirt with French cuffs. His staff were a little more casual, in collared shirts without ties; some of the younger men were even in jeans. The women, however, were all fabulously attired in fashionable dresses and suits. She smoothed down her skirt, wishing she had also splurged on a new suit.
The slides she’d emailed Vanessa just an hour ago were already projected on the wall screen. Rani took a breath and launched right into business. She kept her eyes on everyone except Arjun.
“Rani, how will you acquire the custom fabricated items in your designs given the deadlines in the contract?” Vanessa asked the cutting question and Rani noted with some irritation that Arjun gave a small nod and leaned forward. Rani could tell this was going to be a long day.
By the time the meeting ended four hours later, she was exhausted. There were a lot of questions and several suggestions for design changes, mostly from Vanessa. It was a normal part of the process but Rani had no idea what Arjun was thinking the entire time. Had he liked her ideas? He’d sat back and listened, letting his team do the talking, until a decision needed to be made. Then he took full control. She silently added to her growing dossier on him.
5>He is very good at giving you the illusion that you’re in charge.
One by one, Arjun’s staff members left and then she, Arjun and Vanessa were the only ones remaining. The hum of activity outside the conference room had stopped. The workday had ended.
“That’s some really good work, Rani. Keep it up and your firm might just get the contract for the full hotel,” Arjun said. Rani beamed, his compliment sliding over her like cool shade on a hot, sunny day.
Vanessa chimed in. “We made some good progress but there’s still work to do. It’s almost dinnertime. How about we eat together and go over the final list of changes and contract modifications?”
“That’s a great idea. It’ll be my pleasure to take you guys out. There’s an excellent Italian restaurant right around the corner.” Rani tried to inject as much sincerity as she could muster into her voice. It was an expected part of the job to take the clients out to dinner. RKS spent a small fortune in buying client loyalty through wining and dining.
“Do you mean Portofino’s?” Vanessa asked.
Rani nodded.
“We go there all the time.” Vanessa touched Arjun’s arm. Did she just pout? “How about that Indian place you keep telling me about? We haven’t been there yet.”
We? Was there a “we” in Arjun and Vanessa?
Arjun tapped his smart watch. “Sam, please bring the car around.”
He gestured towards the doors. “Let’s go, ladies.”
The restaurant was not what she would’ve selected for a client dinner. And judging by the creases on Vanessa’s otherwise perfect forehead, she felt the same. It was a small place with five plastic tables and a large counter that seemed to have a bustling carryout business. Several white plastic bags full of takeout containers were sitting on the countertop and at least ten people stood in the cashier’s line. The vinyl floor looked like it had years of scuff marks permanently tattooed on it. A waiter waved to them as he dropped water glasses at the only other table that was occupied. Arjun led them to a table in the corner. Vanessa brushed the chair with her hand before sitting down. Rani caught Arjun’s eye, and smiled with shared amusement.
The waiter appeared seconds after they’d sat down and beamed at them. “Mr. Singh, eating in today? No carryout? And with lovely ladies?”
“These are my work colleagues, Venkat. Could you please bring us some waters and menus?”
“So the food is good here, then?” Vanessa ventured.
Arjun smiled. “It’s the best Indian food in Vegas.”
Venkat returned and plopped down menus and overflowing glasses of water that splashed as he set them down.
“Why don’t you order for us, Arjun, since you know what’s good,” Vanessa said. She pronounced it Aaah-arr- jun with a slightly breathless quality.
Rani cleared her throat. “I prefer to order for myself, thank you.”
Arjun’s lips twitched and she got the feeling he was trying not to smirk.
Rani took refuge behind the menu, taking some deep breaths. I can get through this.
Venkat was hovering, so Arjun called him over and ordered naan, rice, tandoori chicken, fish curry and daal makhani. Rani had to admit it was a pretty good order.
“I’ll have the lamb saag,” she started, but Arjun shook his head. He pointed to a picture on the front cover and she sighed. “Delete that, I’ll have the chef’s thali.”
“Good choice, madam.” Venkat scurried off with their menus.
“What’s wrong with the lamb saag?” she asked when the waiter was gone. The lamb and spinach dish was one of her favorites.
“They use really substandard lamb and it’s not very good. You will like the thali, it has the best of everything.”
Vanessa had the grace not to smirk, and Rani reminded herself that she needed to focus on business and not on whatever was going on between Arjun and Vanessa. Rani pulled out her notebook and steered the conversation back to their meeting and the design changes they had requested.
Their food arrived, and Rani’s mouth watered as Venkat put down a basket with fresh-baked naan. Next he set down the bright red grilled chicken that got its name from the clay tandoori oven it was cooked in, a steaming dish of fish curry, and a pot of lentils. Rani’s order was a large round steel thali with ten smaller round containers arranged inside that had a sampling of various dishes. The chef’s plate.
Arjun and Vanessa’s order was served family-style and Arjun went about ladling the food onto each of their plates. Despite the delicious aroma coming from her own plate, Rani couldn’t eat. She returned to the notebook. “From the list of design changes, I think we need at least three contract modifications.” She started to describe them as Arjun and Vanessa dug into their food.
“Wow, that’s spicy!” Vanessa interrupted. Rani looked up from her notebook to see that her flawless complexion was flushed pink. She was waving her hand in front of her mouth.
Rani picked up the small round container of yogurt on her plate and thrust it forward. “Here, eat the yogurt, don’t drink water. Water circulates the spices on your tongue. The yogurt will calm them.”
Vanessa grabbed the yogurt and finished it in two unladylike bites, then gulped down the rest of her water glass.
“I think I need to wash my mouth out. Where is the bathroom?”
Arjun’s face was totally impassive as he pointed her in the right direction.
As soon as they heard the tapping of Vanessa’s heels receding in the distance, Arjun turned to Rani and grinned. Rani sighed internally. That dimple.
“You could’ve warned her, you know.” Rani was trying and failing to hide her own smile.
“She is very good at her job, but she hasn’t gotten the message that I do not dip my pen in the company ink.”
So he wasn’t completely oblivious to Vanessa’s flirting.
“You’ve never dated anyone you work with?” Rani asked.
He shook his head. “I like my personal relationships to be uncomplicated.”
And I seem to be drawn into complications.
“It’s a good rule. So who do you date?”
He leaned forward. “Why are you so interested in knowing?”
She bit her lip. Busted. “I need to know whether I should furnish the master bedroom for one or for two in the owners condo.”
“For two,” he said, his lips doing that sexy twitch they did when he was trying not to smirk.
“I see.” Her throat was suddenly dry and she took a sip of her water.
“I’m not seeing anyone right now, but I plan to have a family someday.”
Arjun with a family. Two-point-five kids and a dog. Scratch that, no dog. Three kids, two boys that look like him when he frowns and a girl with dimples when she smiles.
She ripped a piece of the naan from her plate and stuck it in her mouth.
“What about you, Rani? Have you ever dated anyone you worked with?”
Rani nearly choked on the naan. Shit. Do I lie? Unfortunately her disastrous relationship with her former boss was well known among the Vegas design and build world. He could easily find out from one of the mouthy contractors or vendors. She could evade but she’d hesitated long enough that he’d know something was up. Better he hear it directly from her, then dig up the unsavory version from someone else.
“I did date someone at RKS. It didn’t end well, and I learned my lesson. I won’t be dipping my ink in the company well ever again.”
“Why was it so bad?” Arjun asked softly.
A lump formed in her throat. She hadn’t talked openly about what had happened with anyone except her best friend, Em. “Let’s just say that a good architect, and more importantly a good man, lost his job and it wasn’t his fault.”
“Are you talking about Bob Seagel?”
How had Rani not heard Vanessa come back? She said down, once again fully composed.
“How do you know Bob?” Rani asked.
“Before I started with Arjun, I worked with Gankle Architecture. Bob applied for a job, but there was a rumor going around that he got fired from RKS for sexual harassment. You must be talking about him. It’s not often that an architect gets fired around here.”
Rani took a breath. She didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Arjun but she wasn’t going to let one more person continue to think it was Bob’s fault. “First of all, Bob didn’t get fired. He resigned. And there was no sexual harassment. He was my boss and my friend. We had just started dating when things got blown out of proportion.” She wasn’t going to get into how she’d been going through a messy divorce and her ex-husband had hired a private eye who managed to snap a picture of the one and only time she and Bob had kissed.
Vanessa learned forward, clearly relishing getting the firsthand story. “If it was mutual, why did he resign?”
“Relationships with subordinates are against the rules at RKS.”
“But this is Vegas. Surely this type of thing is common,” Arjun said. Rani felt a small measure of relief to hear no judgment in his voice.
“Yes and no. RKS is a conservative firm and finding out that a male boss is having a romantic relationship with a female subordinate had to be taken seriously. Plus our personal relationship was so new, we hadn’t gotten around to filling out the required HR paperwork stating it was mutual. I’m not saying it’s fair and I tried to stand up for Bob, but ultimately he decided it would be better for him to resign.”
What she didn’t say is that RKS would have overlooked the relationship had her ex not made a big deal about it. Navin’s motivation had been to get her fired but Bob had taken the hit.
“Poor Bob. I hear he had to go to New York to find another position.”
Rani had heard the same thing and it just added to her guilt.
“Sounds like the whole thing was not easy on you,” Arjun said softly. She met his gaze and felt a comforting warmth flow through her.
Vanessa followed the look between them. “Well, I think I’ve had it with Indian food for tonight so I’ll just get an Uber home.” She pushed her chair back.
Arjun stood. “Nonsense. Sam will take you home and then come back to get us.”
Arjun walked Vanessa to the car, then returned to their table. Rani didn’t know whether to feel relieved Vanessa was gone or nervous that she was now alone with Arjun.
“You have hardly touched your food. Too spicy?” He grinned.
She smiled then shook her head. “I love spicy food, but nothing beats homemade Indian food.”
His lips curved up. “Do you cook?”
What a typical question from an Indian man. She shook her head. “Another virtue that this Indian does not have. I’m a disaster in the kitchen. The only thing I know how to make is masala chai.”
“My sisters are the same way. My mother tells them that they had better marry someone rich who can hire a cook for them, or else they’ll starve.”
Rani laughed mirthlessly. “That’s the same advice my mother gave me. And I took it and married someone rich.”
Arjun stopped mid-chew. “You’re married?”
Was it wrong that she felt a tingle at the surprise and disappointment in his voice? “Divorced,” she said simply, then waited. While divorce was much more common than it used to be, it was still a little taboo among Indians. And the inevitable what happened question was not easy to answer. No, he did not leave me. No, he did not beat me. No, he did not have an affair. Apparently those were the only acceptable reasons for an Indian woman to divorce her husband.
“I’m sorry to hear you had to go through something like that. It’s sad that even in this day and age it’s difficult to be divorced in the Indian community.”
Is this man for real?
“It’s getting late, I should head back.” She didn’t want to get to know Arjun any better. They’d already gotten too personal.
“What’s the rush? We have to wait until Sam returns with the car anyway.”
She could take an Uber. But she was supposed to be taking the client out to dinner. How could she walk out? Be professional, get back to the contract.
“Do you regret having dated at work?”
Rani was jolted by the non sequitur. Arjun’s soft brown eyes looked at her with such intensity that her nerves tingled.
“Yes, I do. It was the first and last time I’ll ever get involved with someone at work.”
Arjun stared at her for a few seconds and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t break the eye contact. It was as if he was trying to convey something without saying it out loud.
“It’s getting late. Would you mind if I paid the bill, then took an Uber back to my car? I have a lot of work to do on these contract modifications.”
“Don’t worry about the bill. I will take care of it, but do wait for Sam. You should not be out alone at this time of night.”
Excuse me? Now there’s the Indian man I was expecting. She knew only too well what he meant. Her ex in-laws had been the same way. Girls from good families don’t go out alone at night. Translation: we feel more comfortable being in control of your whereabouts.
Rani gestured for the check. Venkat pulled out a piece of paper from his apron pocket, then handed it to Arjun without a second glance at Rani.
“Dinner is on RKS,” she said forcefully, holding out her hand for the bill.
“It’s okay, Rani.” Arjun extracted some bills from his wallet and handed them to Venkat, brushing off Rani’s gestures to hand her the check.
Well isn’t that typical. Always needs to be in control.
She pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen.
“My Uber will be here in a few minutes. Thank you for dinner, Mr. Singh. I’ll send over the revised contract in the morning.” She stood and walked out.
“Rani, wait!”
She resisted the urge to walk faster. Her Uber was still ten minutes away and it was pointless to get too far from her pickup location. Arjun strode up to her.
“What just happened? I feel like I offended you and I have no idea why.”
She turned to face him and took a sharp breath. He’s your client, Rani. Watch it. “Not at all, everything’s fine. I just realized how late it is and I’d like to get home,” she said in a high-pitched voice.
“Rani, you originally suggested we go out to Portofino’s for a three-course meal. Please don’t be formal with me. Just tell me what I did to upset you.”
“I specifically asked to pay the bill and I don’t like how you ignored me.”
To his credit, he didn’t smirk or say is that all? He placed his hand on his heart. “My apologies, Rani. My chivalry got the better of me. I don’t ever let a woman pay.”
“We aren’t on a date. You’re my client. Did it occur to you that RKS expects me to take clients out to dinner and I’ll need to explain why I didn’t?”
Before he could say anything, Sam pulled up to the curb next to them. “Seeing as your ride isn’t here, could I do my colleague the courtesy of giving her a ride?”
It would be childish to resist. She nodded and slid into the plush leather seats of his Lexus. They rode to Arjun’s office in silence but she was acutely aware of him next to her in the back seat. On the ride to the restaurant, Arjun had ridden up front with Sam while she and Vanessa shared the back seat. Despite the spaciousness of the car, Arjun felt too close. She could sense his breath as he exhaled, smell his spicy aftershave, feel the heat from his body. The short ride back to her car felt interminable.
There were no empty spots next to her car in the garage, so Sam pulled up a few feet away. “Thank you again, I’ll be in touch,” Rani said. She collected her laptop bag and had scarcely gotten her door open when Arjun appeared on her side, pulling the door wider for her. They walked to her car in silence.
As they neared her car, Rani pulled out the keys and hit the unlock button.
“You owe me forty-six dollars and twenty-two cents.”
Rani turned towards Arjun. “What?”
He held out the receipt from the restaurant. “Plus whatever you would have tipped.”
Rani raised her eyebrow and took the receipt. “How much did you tip?”
He smiled. “I rounded up to an even hundred.”
“That’s more than a hundred percent,” Rani exclaimed. No wonder Venkat was so attentive.
“Venkat has a sick son. Everything he earns, he sends home to India. That’s why I ignored your request.”
Now she felt like shit. Smiling, he joined his hands together in a gesture of apology. His dimple struck a fatal blow to the last of her irritation.
“Mr. Singh, RKS would not approve a hundred percent tip as a business expense, so why don’t I take you out to dinner another night? When might you be free?”
“How’s this coming Saturday?”
That soon?
“Would Vanessa be available on such short notice?” she asked stupidly, knowing full well he wasn’t including her in the dinner plans.
“I think this one will just be the two of us. You pick the restaurant, I’ll get the show tickets.”
“Show tickets?”
He grinned. “My favorite comic, Russell Peters, is doing a show. I was hoping you would come with me.”
Her heart jumped. As in a date? No, that can’t be right. “I don’t think it would be appropriate for us to see each other socially.”
“We can go as colleagues, or two random Indians who have a sense of humor and want to support a politically incorrect comic.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “When you put it that way, how can I say no?”
“Great, text me your address and I’ll pick you up.”
This is sounding a little too much like a date.
Rani looked at the receipt that was still in her hand. “How did you know Venkat had a sick son?”
Arjun shrugged. “I noticed him crying outside the restaurant one night when I stopped to get carryout. I asked him what was wrong.”
He stopped and asked what was wrong.
“Before you get the wrong idea about me, I’m not a bleeding heart, just a little homesick, and Venkat reminds me of one of my favorite servants.”
A favorite servant. Rani resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Arjun opened her car door. She threw her laptop bag on the passenger seat and got in. He leaned down through the doorway as a car tire screeched in the distance. His face was inches from hers, backlit from an overhead light. His aftershave smelled of a sultry mix of sandalwood and spice. A five o’clock shadow darkened his face. His lips were close. So close. All she had to do was lean forward a few inches. She bit her lip and heard the sharp intake of his breath.
“I have to warn you, Rani, you’re making me reconsider my policy about the company ink.”
6>Just when you think you understand him, he surprises you.