Читать книгу Falling For A Bollywood Legend - Mahi Jay - Страница 7

THE FOLLOWING DAYS were a whirlwind. The ‘Wishing Star’ contest was heavily publicised along with the movie. With the weight of a major production house behind it no expense was spared to promote the picture. Hoardings, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, Internet, every media tool was used to capture the public’s attention. It soon became the talk of the town. Entries flew in from all over the country. Young and old alike wrote in and it soon became a very difficult task just to choose a few out of the multitude of responses. The contest had captured the nation’s imagination and they were now eagerly anticipating the movie as well as the contest results.

Nina spoke to Aadith on and off to keep him updated about the progress of the various promotional activities they had undertaken. Both of them kept their conversations brief and professional. As the star of the movie as well as the co-producer he had a lot on his plate trying to keep an eye on the post-production activities and fulfil his promotional obligations. There didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day for him to catch up with all that needed to be done, yet at odd times he found himself wanting to see Nina again. Deciding to pay her a visit, he rang her office and was informed by Mrs Dutta that she would be working late with her team.

Nina rummaged in her bag for a piece of paper where she’d made a note about the campaign. She needed it for the meeting. Despite its bulging size, her bag was perfectly organised with everything neatly compartmentalised and tidy, as was her desk. Nina knew she was compulsively neat but it was a habit left over from her childhood days, which she couldn’t seem to break. Trying to be the perfect child did leave its mark, thought Nina ruefully as she found the slip. Everything about her screamed order, from her perfectly styled hair to her perfectly pedicured toes.

Shortly afterwards she headed into a small conference room where she had called in her usual team of people to help her iron out the final details regarding the campaign. Payal, a young junior executive, was the first to enter the room and she was grinning from ear to ear.

‘I still can’t believe you didn’t tell us you were friends with Aadith Varma!’ she gushed. Nina rolled her eyes in exasperation.

‘Payal, we were barely more than acquaintances, don’t make it into something bigger,’ retorted Nina lightly.

‘Some people have all the luck in the world,’ sighed Payal unrepentantly with a dreamy smile. ‘Had I been in your place I would have just m—’ She broke off as the rest of the team filed in one after the other.

Nina made a note to herself to ensure that she kept Payal’s contact with Aadith minimal. Payal was a naive innocent who would probably end up getting hurt.

When the rest of the team had taken their places around the table she quickly explained the time constraint they would be working under. Just then a discreet knock sounded on the door and Aadith Varma stepped in, looking über cool in faded denims and a linen white shirt that fitted his body like a dream.

‘Hi, everyone … I had an evening free, so I thought I’d drop in to discuss a bit more about the campaign and check if you required anything from my side,’ said Aadith casually as he strolled in and took a place near the head of the table next to Nina.

Stunned surprise greeted his entry but within a minute everyone around the table save Nina was clamouring for his attention. Nina watched in wry amusement as Aadith took it all in his stride. He was at his charming best as they all introduced themselves to him.

His eyes met hers across the table and he felt a wave of pleasure. When his hungry gaze fell on her lips where a slight smile was hovering, he felt a jolt of desire rock him. He wanted nothing better than to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless, he thought impatiently.

Nina’s skin prickled with awareness when she caught sight of Aadith devouring her with his eyes. She cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention.

‘Mr Varma, it’s generous of you to offer your time. As you know the contest has been generating a lot of positive media attention towards both the movie and you, so I’d say it’s certainly been a step in the right direction.’

‘A lot of people from the industry have commented that the contest is creating the right buzz, so I am glad it’s working,’ added Aadith.

‘Since you’re here, it will be easier to work out the logistics that will work for you, Mr Varma,’ announced Nina.

Aadith glared at her as she reverted back to the formal use of his name. His eyes promised swift retribution.

‘As far as logistics are concerned it would be better if you restrict all events relating to the contest to the metro cities. Security reasons apart, effectively managing the limited time we have will not be possible if far flung places are also included,’ stated Aadith decisively.

There were vigorous nods all around. ‘Since we are choosing the top three entries we can restrict the venues to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. That way it would seem as if we’ve covered the length and breadth of India,’ she finished.

‘Have you chosen the top entries?’ queried Aadith.

‘We wanted to portray love through the ages, so we’ve decided to choose a young, a middle-aged and an older couple,’ chimed in Payal with shining eyes.

Aadith’s eyes clouded for a minute. ‘Ahh … Love through the ages …’ What a load of drivel, he thought bitterly. Hadn’t his father and he experienced firsthand that love was just another word for convenience? He knew love never stood a chance against money.

‘Ah, eternal love … how appropriate for the movie,’ he exclaimed sardonically. ‘Nothing sells as well as the idea of perfect love, does it?’

Nina caught the note of bitterness in his tone. It seemed as if the others found something amiss too because Payal immediately asked, ‘Why, Mr Varma, don’t you believe in happily ever after?’

Aadith flashed an unrepentant smile at her and replied, ‘Let’s just say I believe happily ever afters work better in movies.’

Payal let out a strangled gasp. She had certainly not expected her favourite romantic hero to be a total cynic. Nina’s heart turned cold. If she had wanted further incentive to stay clear of him, there it was. She had it from the horse’s mouth that he didn’t believe in love. She couldn’t deny to herself that there was a burning attraction between them, but to give into that would be utter foolishness.

Aadith continued smoothly, ‘If you let my assistant know the exact dates when my presence is required, he will ensure it is cleared.’

Nina passed out a sheet of paper that contained the probable dates that they had pencilled in. Her fingers grazed his as she did so, it was the merest touch yet it felt as if he had been scalded. He stared at the sheet blankly. He couldn’t think beyond the tingling touch of her fingers. Was he so desperate that the most innocuous and fleeting touch could arouse such a heated response from him?

He couldn’t have stopped himself had he even wanted to; he needed to touch her again. Now. As Aadith passed the sheet back to her he stroked her palms with his fingertips. Nina jerked her hand back as if she had been stung.

Oh, yeah … she felt it too, thought Aadith in satisfaction.

What was wrong with her? He’d only touched her hands yet she’d felt as if he’d run his fingers along her entire body. She groaned to herself. This physical need he’d awakened in her was driving her crazy, she thought exasperatedly.

Aadith’s deep voice broke Nina’s reverie. After ironing most of the details out, he stood up to leave. He turned towards her casually and raised an enquiring eyebrow. ‘Nina, could I have a private word with you …?’ Her heart lurched.

She followed him out with all eyes in the room glued to her back. Her heart was racing in triple time. She didn’t want to be alone with Aadith. She didn’t trust him, but even worse she didn’t trust herself around him. Her legs felt wobbly as she made her way to her office.

Aadith pushed the door and held it open, deliberately leaving very little space for her to squeeze through. She had to brush past him to enter and that brief contact sent shock waves rippling through them both. The moment the door closed behind him Aadith caught her by her hand and gently pushed her against the wall. He moved closer so she was firmly wedged close to his hard male body.

Nina gasped in surprise as she looked up at him with a curious mixture of fear and desire. She wanted to pull away sharply but the strong pull of attraction that had been simmering between them from the beginning held her still.

‘This is a bad idea,’ whispered Nina. He saw the helpless tremble of her moist lips and his mercury-grey eyes darkened in hunger.

‘I don’t think so. I’ve been aching to do this from the moment I laid eyes on you again,’ he muttered, and before she could edge another word in Aadith lowered his lips to hers in a soft, unhurried kiss. It was the merest brush of their lips yet it unfurled in her a veritable storm of desire.

Her eyes fluttered to a helpless close as he moulded the softness of her body to the hardness of his. He heard the shallowness of her breathing and felt the warmth of her body curve instinctively into his. He had thought of this moment long enough, he realised as her lips parted and yielded to his. He gave a low groan as he deepened the kiss. Devouring. Plundering. Possessing … There was no room for thought other than to satiate the fierce hunger that was raging between them.

It felt as if her body were melting, with the way his hands skimmed down the side of her body to pull her more firmly against him. The sensations were so powerful that her knees almost threatened to buckle under her.

Aadith’s lips left hers to murmur throatily against her ears, ‘Nina, let’s get out of here.’ She felt her cheeks burn. She gave him a light push and when he immediately loosened his hold on her she quickly put the distance of her desk between then. Nina lifted a trembling hand to her temple and groaned in dismay.

‘This is a terrible mistake. We never should have done this.’

Aadith’s mouth tightened. ‘Speak for yourself. I certainly enjoyed it and don’t have any regrets.’

Nina blushed furiously. ‘Mixing business with pleasure can backfire so easily, besides which I’m not ready to join the long line of women who’ve graced your bed.’

‘A few minutes ago you didn’t seem to have any such reservations and I’d go so far as to say you wanted it as much as I did,’ he said harshly.

‘Maybe I did but I don’t intend to act upon it in the future and I’d appreciate it if you kept your distance too,’ returned Nina sharply.

Ice flashed in his eyes as he leaned forward, his hands encircling her wrists, his movements precise and controlled, radiating a tightly leashed power. Yet his voice when he spoke was alarmingly cool.

‘Nina, you and I both know where this is going to end. In my bed. I for one feel the thrill of the chase will make your surrender that much sweeter. So I will look forward to it immensely.’ He raised her hand to his lips and placed a kiss there, looking for all the world like an old school gentleman bidding adieu to his beloved.

But a gentleman he definitely was not. A rogue, more like, Nina thought, narrowing her eyes in warning. He audaciously winked at her and let himself out, closing the door gently behind him. She flopped down onto her chair and rested her burning forehead against the coolness of the glass table. It was hard enough resisting temptation, but doing it for the both of them was going to be next to impossible, especially when he had made it clear that he wasn’t going to play by the rules.

Nina’s mind went back to the bitterness in his tone when he had spoken about love. Granted, he’d grown up without a mother’s love, but as far as she had known his grandmother had showered him with a lot of love to make up for it. She faintly remembered his father being a bit aloof, just as hers had been. But it still didn’t add up to the almost cynical disbelief he’d displayed when talking about love. She couldn’t help wondering if there had been someone in his past who had marked him so. There was no time to dwell on it as Payal entered her office.

She took one look at Nina’s face and a slight smile hovered on her lips, but she didn’t deign to pass a comment. Nina felt grateful that for once Payal had chosen not to pepper her with a million and one questions. She was not in any kind of shape to even attempt answering. Since they lived close to each other they usually opted to share their ride to and from the office. Today was Payal’s turn to drive home, which made Nina doubly grateful as she sank back into the seat of the i10 listening to the soft melodic tunes that were the usual nighttime fare on the FM station.

The following days were just as busy for Nina as she scrambled around to get everything organised for the audio and trailer launch of the movie. Music composed by the legendary Ranjit Singh promised to be a treat, from what she’d heard.

They’d chosen the historic Taj Palace and Tower hotel in Mumbai as befitting the period genre of the movie. Nina had sent out invites to the who’s who of the industry, who were all clamouring for a first look at the movie.

Nina changed her outfit half a dozen times but nothing seemed to fit the occasion. She wanted something businesslike but not too severe. She was bound to be overshadowed by several beautiful actresses who would be there, but that didn’t mean she had to be a wallflower, did it? She knew she wanted something chic and feminine but didn’t stop to examine why when by all accounts she was supposed to be avoiding Aadith’s unwanted attentions.

Trying not to think too much about it, she finally settled on a less than businesslike but far more feminine blush pink lace sheath that had been one of her rare extravagant purchases. Pearl drops at her ears and a loose messy side braid added the right touch to keep the look flirty yet formal.

The big ballroom of the luxurious hotel was in a flurry of activity when Nina arrived. Huge pillars and curved domes were decorated with gauzy chiffon and silk drapes interspersed with beautiful flowers. Waiters stood by with sparkling glasses of champagne. Soft melodic music greeted the guests upon their entry.

Nina stood just inside the ballroom directing and assisting the media people who had been invited to cover the glitzy event. An excited flurry at the entrance heralded the arrival of Aadith. The entire media group she’d been assisting immediately descended on him. He fielded the dozens of questions thrown at him with practised ease.

His eyes scanned the room until he found Nina watching him from behind the throng of reporters. His blood felt hot and thick as he took in her hourglass body encased in a form fitting dress. Aadith had never been turned on by a shy or coy look yet, when she lowered her lashes to hood her eyes, he felt an involuntary need for her that stunned him in its intensity.

When he walked into a room everyone else paled in comparison. He radiated a raw masculinity and vitality that instantly drew people to him. He was born to hold attention, thought Nina dazedly. It felt as if there were an electrical current zinging between them. It was almost palpable, and was turning her into a puddle of nerves.

Nina didn’t want him to have that sort of hold on her, so she quickly fished her mobile out and pretended to be busy. She refused to look at him even when she felt him staring at her, willing her to look at him. She watched in trepidation from under her lashes as Aadith broke away from the group and made a move towards her. Nina could not decide if she wanted to stay or run to the nearest exit and disappear.

Then a stunning young girl waylaid Aadith with an adoring smile on her face and when he leaned in to hug her Nina felt a sharp pain cut through her. Trying to be indifferent towards him didn’t seem to be working for her. She felt a primal urge to rudely rip the girl out of his arms. She watched him lead her to a seat in the front and wondered in irritation about her identity.

The event went off without a hitch and everyone seemed to appreciate the first look at the movie and the music. Soon they all headed to the buffet area for dinner and just as she was about to follow suit a disturbingly familiar voice behind her called out softly, ‘Why didn’t you say hello earlier?’

Nina’s heart was hammering wildly as she turned around to face him. Aadith had been waiting for her to acknowledge him the whole evening and when she hadn’t he had felt disgruntled.

‘Well, I was busy and then later there was no time,’ murmured Nina.

‘Oh, really?’ asked Aadith sceptically. Nina bristled at once.

‘Of course I was. We don’t all lead charmed lives where we just have to grace the occasion—some of us have to work hard for a living.’

Aadith’s mouth quirked. ‘Nina, if you’re trying to pick a fight with me, it’s not working! Why are you hiding from me? I let you hide the first time around but this time … I don’t think so.’

In the past she had been the one who had kissed him and then completely cut him off the next day. Yes, he had pushed her away but she had made him feel as if he had been the one in the wrong. He never should have stopped trying to sort things out with her, he thought wryly. It didn’t seem to have done her any good, nor him; he still wanted her badly.

Nina stiffened. She knew he was referring to what she had done all those years ago. She remembered that disastrous evening long ago. When she had finally scrounged up enough courage to try to seduce Aadith, he had gently pushed her away after a single steamy kiss. She had felt bewildered and insecure that he had found her unattractive. Monica’s comments afterwards had left her humiliated to the core and she had refused to see Aadith when he had repeatedly tried to meet her. She had known that he was moving away shortly, so until then she’d avoided running into him.

Well, that was then! She had been an anxious teenager with an unrequited crush on him. Not so now. Yes! She was attracted to him but that didn’t mean she was going to cower from him while he flaunted his girls in her face.

‘I have no intention of hiding from you. You’re just going to have to accept that I’m not going to join the line of fawning females desperate for your attention,’ she said boldly.

Never had a woman roused his interest so much. She made him furious one moment and the next he wanted to bury his hands in her hair and ravage her mouth. Striving for a mock apologetic tone and not quite managing it, he said, ‘The feeling is, of course, not mutual. I’d join any queue to win you over.’

Nina looked at him in frustration. He was the very devil. The serpent in paradise. Here she was trying to keep him at arm’s length, while he was using every trick in the book to get under her defences with a lot more success than she was having. Nina gritted her teeth and was about to snap back when the beautiful young girl from before walked up to them and slipped her small hands into his. She turned to smile at Nina with an enquiring look on her face. From up close she looked to be no more than seventeen.

Nina’s eyes flashed fire. If he needed to boost his ego playing with a girl so young she thought she wouldn’t ever be able to respect him. She could not hide her contempt.

Aadith, picking up on it instantly, glared at her and said, ‘Nina, this is Lila Khan, the daughter of Malik Khan, the co-producer of this movie. Lila aims to direct a film someday so she often hangs around with Vinay on the sets.’

When Nina still looked at him suspiciously he added fondly, ‘I’ve known her for the past ten years and she is an amazingly talented kid.’

Nina noted the hurt in Lila’s eyes but Aadith seemed to be completely oblivious to it. Nina suddenly felt sorry for the girl. She had once been in the girl’s shoes and knew the pain of it. The pain of being regarded as a kid when you no longer felt like one.

The girl’s father, Malik Khan, joined them and congratulated Nina on the success of the event. He shortly afterwards led his reluctant daughter away to meet some other friends of his.

‘What is it about me that makes you jump to conclusions?’ he asked furiously. ‘She is barely seventeen and you thought I’d dally with her? How low am I in your estimation?’

‘Well, you don’t exactly have the reputation of a saint,’ retorted Nina stingingly.

‘Maybe not, but if you’d care to remember I didn’t take advantage of you even then,’ exclaimed Aadith.

Nina blushed scarlet. ‘You’re never going to let that go, are you?’

‘Well, when you insist on painting me pitch black at the slightest provocation, you leave me with little choice.’

Nina knew that this time she’d been in the wrong. Her jealousy had prompted her to jump to an erroneous conclusion about him. She felt compelled to apologise.

‘I … I’m sorry, I did think you were involved with her, although if left up to her you probably would be,’ she said tartly.

Aadith looked at her as if she were nuts. ‘What are you talking about? She’s barely more than a child.’

Nina smiled wryly. ‘She sees you as more than that,’ she said simply.

‘No! What she sees is not me. Not the real me, anyway. She sees the romantic lover-boy/bad-boy image I have,’ he snapped. ‘Sometimes I wonder if anybody even knows there is a real person underneath all the characters I play. Do they see me when they talk to me or only imagine me as any one of the characters I’ve played? It often makes me want to say or do something to break the image everyone has of me until they see just me. Which is why I’m in this current predicament,’ he admitted.