Tempting Mr Rajvansh

Chapter 4

"Sometimes the greatest adventure is simply a conversation"
- Amadeus Wolfe

CHAPTER 4

Mishti opened her eyes and they grew wide in apprehension. For a few, brief moments, her scrambled thoughts failed to pinpoint the reason for the odd sensation—until the events of the previous evening came flooding back, and she sat up in horror, hoping that the whole night had been a wild, ridiculous dream.

No luck there.

What foolishness had prompted her to go to Abir Rajvansh's house in the night? Had she been inside his room last night? And surely, she had not asked him to kiss her. She groaned.

She was never going to drink again.

A fresh wave of horror rose in her and she spoke aloud.

Mishti : Bloody hell! I kissed the man. No, I ASKED him to kiss me.

Mishti flopped back to the bed with a sigh and willed the universe to strike her dead or, at the very least, infirm. She simply could not risk ever facing Abir Rajvansh again. Not after that kiss.

But what a kiss it had been. She squeezed her eyes tightly closed at the thought but was unable to avoid the flood of memories that came with it. The kiss had been everything she had ever imagined. It had been more. Abir had seemed larger than life, looming above her, his dark hair tousled, then he had kissed her, all warm lips and exquisite man.

The experience had been so fierce, and she had felt so wonderful, so free. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before, and like everything she'd ever dreamed. And it had been Abir!

It had been a kiss to make up for the long years spent on the edges of social events, watching him with an endless run of beauties on his arm, years of her ears pricking up anytime she heard whispers about his latest affairs, an age of reading the newspapers avidly to see if his name was present.

She shook her head. But men like Abir were not for women like Mishti. If anything, she had learned that last night. Abir was all darkness and excitement and adventure...and despite what drunk Mishti might have seemed to be the night before...

Well, by the light of day, Mishti was none of those things.

But, for one evening, for a fleeting moment, she had been. And what a lovely moment it had been. She'd been bold and forward and UNPASSIVE. And, while last night might have taught her that Abir was not for her, there was certainly no reason why the rest of the things she longed to do couldn't be entirely attainable.

She could do the list.

Mishti gasped and searched her bag for the list. She pulled out the scrap of paper and read through it once more.

Smoke weed

Fire a pistol

Gamble (at a gentleman's club)

Dance every dance one night

Fence

Be considered beautiful. Just once.

It didn't look like any of them were going to happen. Fence? Did people even do that anymore? She knew her brother liked it and that he frequented a fencing academy but did anyone else?

Also, Who would allow her to fire a pistol in Rajkot? Why had she put such stupid things in her list?

Suddenly she stopped and thought. She could go to a shooting range. Mishti smiled for the first time that day.

Mishti (muttering softly) : At least one item in my list, I can complete.

Voice : What list?

Mishti turned to see her nanny who had been with the family since Naksh's birth. Jasmeet Aunty had dutifully helped raise Naksh, Mishti and Kuhu and even now, when they were grown up, continued to stay with them and she was a respected and honorary member of their house.