Forbidden Desire

CH 7 || His Burning Desire

Aditi

******

At the eventide, on the day of the interview, I had my virtual HR round which was like duck soup. It wasn’t even an hour after the interview and I had received an official email enunciating my selection. I was required to join after two days. Everything gave the impression of being surreal. 

The window of opportunity unbolted for me when I was in dire need of the same.

I still wanted to rejoin my old job but I couldn't. Howbeit, my new one was withal better than working in Vidyut’s Company. 

L.I.E.R Industries was one of the colossal electronics industries in America, even greater than the Kohli Industries.

Both Kohli and L.I.E.R were the rivals as far as I had heard from my husband. Surprisingly, the name of that organization was enough to peeve Vidyut. Out of curiosity, when I once questioned him about the same he had said L.I.E.R Industries had acquired information regarding his company to be on top, illegally. Though I never enquired more, still, I felt there was something more to what he had told me. 

I would not have doubted him but the way he was dodging the conversation then, it appeared there was a back story to it.

I didn’t know any prodigious and principal details about the company I was to join so I thought of better research before starting to work. I didn’t want to embarrass myself. 

Taking my laptop, I settled myself in the cushioned swing chair on my balcony.

I found out that the CEO of L.I.E.R Industries was Aahir Arya, son of Ashwin Arya. There was nothing prominent about him on Google, no pictures, no scandals, nothing.

‘How can it be possible?’I chewed over it.

No esteemed person was there whose name was never tossed into any scandal, not even Vidyut. Whether it’s fake or true, one always gets tangled in the web unrolled by media personnel. I pondered over who was the inefficient one who failed to capture a single picture of him that could help others see him. 

It is not that there was no snapshot available of him. There was, but, in neither of them, his face was palpably visible. 

‘Is he hiding?’

‘If yes, then why?’

Those were the questions that were put forth by my journalist self. As per my assumptions there for sure was something fishy, something that could not be seen from the naked eye. 

‘Who exactly are you Aahir Arya?’

I decided to research him first. 

The information received via the help of the search engine was piquing my curiosity more. Aahir Arya was the elder son of Ashwin Arya and Aruna Arya. He had a younger sibling Aarav Arya who was a college student.

L.I.E.R wasn’t that great of an industry before Aahir stepped into the business world. He made a team of strong individuals and with his consistent hard work and persistence, L.I.E.R became a leading industry. L.I.E.R had been on top for the past five years while Kohli Industries had secured the second position.

Aahir had two best friends Arvik Raichand and Reyansh Khurana. I was startled when I found their pictures. I had met both of them. Arvik was the MD of the company who interviewed me while Reyansh was the guy I had cannon into at the airport and then saw him at the office. He was a motorbike racer. That clearly explained his rough appearance.

There wasn't a single picture of Aahir that showed his face. Even those in which he was present with his family and friends, he was either wearing a mask and goggles or a helmet.

Some photographs were clicked while he was in the car or was on his bike. None of them could give a clear picture. His private life seemed cloak and dagger to me. He was no less than an inscrutable being.

But I still had doubts why there was no picture of him. There might have been one or two with the journalists. Suddenly, I got an idea. I picked up the phone kept on the table in my front and dialled one of my ex-colleague Ella’s numbers after closing the laptop on my lap.

“Hi, Ella…”

“Aditi, how are you? How is life?” She was always enthusiastic and not to mention, chirpy. Prior to she could start with her perpetual articulation, I instantly replied to her, “Everything is good.”

“And you darling husband, Vidyut?” 

“He is good too.” I kept my reply terse, not planning to involve Vidyut. Before she could say knife I said, “Ella, I need to know something.”

“Yeah, tell me.”

“Do you know Aahir Arya?”

“You mean CEO of L.I.E.R, The Aahir Arya?” 

Why was it necessary for her to put ‘The’ before his name? It’s not like he was some God.

“Yeah, the same.”

“Dude, he is a ghost, rarely comes in front of paparazzi.” 

“Didn’t you try to take his interview or tried to get one single picture?”

“Do you think we didn’t? We have been behind him for the past nine months but nothing happened. We were mostly left empty-handed. And whenever we were successful his face was covered with something.” She sounded vanquished. Anyone would be, after all, that piece of work wasn’t taxing.

“But why do you need to know about him, out of the blue?” The inquiry ambushed me. I was caught off by the surprise, dwelling over what to answer.

‘Because he was making me curious. I was intrigued to know with whom I was to work.’, was the truth but I stayed with falsehood.

Hiding the truth I said, “Nothing, I heard from Vidyut about him and got to know he rarely comes out in public. Vidyut had seen him but he didn’t know why he avoids public appearances. So I thought you might know.”

“Oh, he doesn’t hate public appearances. He is just against the getting clicked policy.”

“But why?” Exaggerating on ‘why’ wasn’t required, yet, I did. 

Weird it was how one man had got me snooping for him.

“I don’t know. It would have been great if you would have been working with us. I am sure we would have found out about him and he wouldn't have been a mystery for us.” She sighed. I could sense the defeat. She had given up, heretofore.

“Ella, I am getting an urgent call. I gotta go, bye.” 

“Bye, love, talk to you later then....”

I hung up the call and put the phone back on the table. My laptop screen was turned on once again and I continued with my sweeping investigation.

I was clueless about how inept everyone was that their plans to capture just a single image of a six feet tall man went down like a lead balloon. I was sure not wanting attention was just to create hype and nothing else.

Endeavours I put in to find a bit of suspicious article about him failed, one after another, and I was left with nothing, unlike before. That was peculiar. Foiled, I closed the screen with a thud before placing it on the table in front.

No one had ever vexed me without even appearing in my life. My journalist instincts kicked in and I decided to take his photo. 

‘I take your challenge, Aahir Arya. I will get your picture that too, tonight.’ I mumbled to myself. 

A smile crept on my lips which was like a sealed promise to myself, thinking that I was going to do something intrepid. Little did I know what the coming night had in store for me.

******

Aahir 

******

My phone rang while I was having a discussion with Arvik regarding an advertisement for our upcoming product to be launched. 

People around me tended to ruffle me whenever I would be busy with work.

Louring, I picked up the call. Disconnecting wasn’t the choice as the call was from one of my important investors.

While talking to him, I stood up and walked to the four feet tall glass window which was a fount of the panoramic view of the city. The cityscape was one of the reasons I had bought the building, two years back. 

I was all ears for Mr. Benjamin, the investor, when I saw her, again.

Stagnant, she stood in front of her car, in a black dress. 

Damn! She looked hot. 

 She stared at the tower building in which I was in with her glee-filled eyes. I noticed her mumbling, “Wow!”

Time stopped, it appeared, for her and for me too. Her mystifying eyes were besotted with the seventieth-floor tall beauty. I felt proud of myself at that moment.

Shortly afterward she roamed her eyes all around her like a curious kitten. She might have sensed she was being watched. Perchance because she was a journalist before. It would have been fun if she would have been a journalist, the chasing game would have been immensely lekker. Still, I was more than exhilarated that she was going to be my employee. I was going to appoint her anyhow, by hook or by crook.

She eyed my security for a brief before she confidently walked in. She had made me forget I was on a call. It had never happened before. The power of control was in my grip and I, Aahir Arya had never given the authority to rule over me to anyone in life nor I ever intended to.

I had to satiate my curiosity by making her my prey.

“Hello, Mr. Arya, are you there?”

“My assistant would coordinate with you, Mr. Benjamin. I need to go now.” I had to hang up the call as my prey had just walked in.

I took strides to my seat and sat comfortably on the black ergonomic chair with my right leg resting on my left and I was busy with my musings.

“Where are you lost?” I heard Arvik.

“She is here.” was my reply without even glancing at him. He understood the next step was of his so he got up from his seat and said, “I will see you in a bit then.” I curtly bobbed my head and he left.

I had already turned on the system where I could watch her every move on the live CCTV footage. 

The black dress she wore to the interview clasped her like a second skin. I wanted to tear that apart. I hated it on her. It was closer to her, except for me. I wanted to have the right, to touch her every curve and not that f*****g dress.

I could observe her waking up to my web.

‘Welcome, Mio prezioso.’

The elevator reserved for mine had made her curious. She conversed with the security men on the way to the elevator making me amused at her aberrant behaviour. 

‘You will soon step into it, with me.’

She was judging everyone on her way. No one was left with her eyes. She wasn’t a journalist anymore but the traits were embedded in her. She had left the profession but the profession had not left her. 

Waiting in the conference she was scrutinizing, her inspecting eyes were messing up with my system. Her hair was rolled up in a ponytail. I knew she despised long hair but then it would be no fun if I wouldn't have been able to pull her hair, pounding inside of her. 

For her, my desires were nonpareil.

The way she bit her lips waiting for someone to turn up while she was in the conference room turned me on. I was supposed to do that. It was my right to bite her lips and kiss her lips till they bleed red. I wanted those rights, to f**k her pretty little mouth.

My pen had caught her eye. She wanted it, I could tell by her expressions. Everything related to me had made her intrigued and flummoxed just like I wanted.

With my index finger, I traced her perfect figure on the screen, from her head to her toe. Very soon I was going to touch her for real. With pleasure, I was feasting my eyes on her.

The way a smile adorned her lips after every question as if she knew what question was to be put up in front of her. The burning passion in me was shooting up but I knew I would have to wait. 

She wasn’t just any woman, there was something about her that was bothering me, she was different in every way possible.

To land up a job she used the tagline of my company to impress her interviewer which was quite unhackneyed.

Rolling the oval-shaped paperweight I sneered.

‘Welcome to my world, Aditi.’ It was going to be fun dealing with her.

Though there was one notable thing, she seemed disparate from the previous time we had met.

When she was heading out I once again had my eyes on her standing near the glass window. She turned up in my direction. I knew she could not see me but had become confident of the fact that she was indeed eyed upon. I wanted that woman. My search for months had finally come to an end and no way in the world I was going to let her leave. All I had to do was spread my mesh for her to be imprisoned.

My search for something else had landed upon her, eventually, making her my target. Not only that, my curiosity had played the part of the kindling to the already ignited fire. Now, all I yearned for was for her to poise my soul which was burning with desire.

******

Hope you all liked the chapter.

Do share your views with me what you think of Aahir?

Do share your views with me about the chapter. I would love to hear from you all. ❤️

Thanks,

Shrishtee