Hired To Be Mine

Chapter 17

The drive in the limo was filled with silence and tension. s****l tension. Salim's arm was draped over her shoulder where it dangled right above her breast, dangerously. Nicole didn't dare remove her gaze from the window, though she badly wanted to look at his handsome face. She caught him stealing glances her way, yet she resisted the tough urge to lock gazes and kept her eyes focused on the Manhattan night view.

She couldn't believe she was with 'the Salim Sheikh'. The man whom she crushed while in her college, the man whom all her girl friends mused upon. The talented, handsome and the one and only, Salim Sheikh. He was hers. A huge grin stretched upon her face which soon transformed into a blush.

Salim's phone rang suddenly, interrupting the moment. She turned her gaze towards him curiously, as he withdrew his arm around her to take the call. A smile etched on his lips as he saw the caller id. "Saale bol! How are you?" he laughed merrily. Nicole caught on to the Hindi, which Salim often spoke to people from his home country.

"What?" he shrieked his eyes wide in happiness? He threw a glance towards Nicole and his eyes sparkled with happiness. Nicole couldn't hear the conversation from the other side, but Salim's glad was contagious. She couldn't help but smile at his happy face.

"Zaroor saale! Aa raha hun mein apni bhaanji se milne. Definitely man! I will be there", she felt a sudden pang of nervousness at the thought of Salim ditching the night to meet whoever he was making promises to. But the way he smiled, like he just heard the best news ever, made her forget the disappointment and revel in his happiness. You are so whipped, Nicole! Her subconscious sneered at her, but she brushed off the negative feeling.

"Give Pari my love and tell her I'm coming", he said with a smile, "rakhta hun saale", he hung up the phone and turned towards her. Surprisingly when he mentioned another woman's name, she didn't feel any bit of jealousy. May be it was the way he took her name, like the way a big brother takes his baby sister's name. That's what she loved about Salim, he never made her feel insecure and if anything, he made her feel safe and proud of herself.

"God Nicole", he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for hug, burying his face into her hair. His happiness was so consuming that she couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"What?" she asked, though she knew he was anyway going to tell her. Salim had this habit of talking overtly when he was too happy.

"Mein mama ban gaya", he spoke in Hindi, another habit of Salim. Whenever he was happy, he would speak in Hindi. She raised her eyebrows and he shook his head, "You know my friend Raghu, from India?" she nodded a 'yes'. She remembered Salim's billionaire Indian friend who owned a construction chain. "He just had a baby girl. I am so happy", he hugged her once again and Nicole smiled lovingly at him.

***

"I can't tell you how happy I am", he shook his head, still excited over the news. "He was so excited over the phone, I could literally see his happiness", he laughed throwing his head back and closing his eyes. A sigh of relief passed through his lips, "That bugger deserves this kind of happiness. Only a few know how long he suffered for love", he added in a low voice. He didn't know why all of a sudden he was sharing these things with Nicole. But with her, he always felt like retelling his entire life history.

"Congratulations", Nicole's sweet voice turned his head to look at her. She had a genuine smile on her face as she looked at him, and he knew that he had to ask her this or he won't be in peace all night.

"Would you come with me? To India?" he asked holding his breath. Nicole's smile froze and her face turned into an emotionless mask. His heart skipped a beat as various scenarios of rejection flashed in his mind. It would be silly to feel rejected because it's just a one week trip, but again it would be embarrassing, if he couldn't even convince her to tag along for a one week trip.

If she didn't even want to accompany him on a trip then how the hell is he supposed to make her say 'yes' when he pops the big question.

"I am sorry", she said in a low voice looking at her lap, "I can't. It's just that things are moving too fast and..." she trailed off looking into the window,

Salim took her hand from her palm and gave it a quick squeeze and without prolonging the conversation which included the rejection he gave her a curt nod. He cursed himself for asking that. He should have comprehended that things were escalating too fast and Nicole wanted to take it slow. But he didn't, and he almost screwed things up with her.

"It's okay", he shot her a reassuring smile, not wanting to spoil the mood for the night. "I understand", he added.

***

She was mentally slapping herself for rejecting his offer. It's not like she was regretting it, because she wasn't. She couldn't. She possibly cannot leave her kids and go to a different country for who knows how long. She couldn't be that selfish. And if she told Salim the same reason then he would have made arrangements to take her kids with them too. But that would be even more wrong. Her conscious would feed on her for eternity if she let that happen.

She wasn't sure how long this would last. Yes, she was falling for this gorgeous man, but she need to get real. She was a single mother of three kids, with a café to run and a seasonal job which would end by the coming summer. She cannot afford to imagine this office romance to transform into something even more concrete.

She knew Salim was too honorable and kind hearted to give her a future, but she didn't want a compromise or pity. In face she wouldn't accept anything less than love. The world could call her a romantic but she knew what a loveless relationship could be like. She's been there and done that and have seen firsthand how terrible it made her feel.

"We're here", Salim's gentle voice shook her from her trance and she glanced out of the window. Her eyes bulged huge as she spotted various photographers snapping pictures at the guests. She knew there would be media and press, but she never anticipated such a huge crowd.

Salim's deep chuckle made her turn to face him, "What is it darling, are you nervous?" She narrowed her eyes at his mocking laugh.

"Of course not, darling", she said tilting her chin up and straightening her spine. Salim's eyebrows rose up in amusement as he got down the limo and walked to her side. As soon as he stepped out, Nicole took deep breaths.

She will be appearing in tomorrow's tabloids with Salim, as his date. And she didn't want to look like a goat. Goat? Where did that come from? She shook her head to get rid of those stupid thoughts and took another ragged breath. She looked stunning, she knew. 'Cause she has a huge mirror in her house and she looked into it, so there's nothing to be nervous about. She told herself. But that didn't do anything. She was still nervous.

Within no time, her door opened and Salim gave her his hand to take. She slowly placed her hand in his and gripped it tightly. Salim hissed under his breath and quickly replaced it with a smile. She was sure that his blood supply was caught off where she held his hand but she couldn't care less. She was nervous and as her date, it was his responsibility to make her nerves settle.

"Mr. Sheikh", someone called from the crowd and Salim turned towards the photographers. A couple of flashes blinded her momentarily before she realized that it's time and flashed her best smile to the camera's.

"Thank you gentlemen, but no more", Salim held up a hand and guided her towards the hall.

"Mr. Salim, would you like to comment on Ms. Victoria Nehwal's new fashion line", another reporter yelled for him,

"I will take questions later people", he said with an air of authority and walked away with her hand held firmly in his.

As they walked into the lobby, the cries and clicks of the crowd disappeared and they were soon welcomed into a huge banquet hall which had round tables lined graciously with expensive silk and exquisite cutlery. She could only imagine how much a dinner plate would cost and wondered if she could ever afford to buy her kids such food. She shook her head with a smile, Someday. I promise, someday I will.

"What are you thinking about" Salim pulled out a chair for her and settled her in. They were sitting right in the front row, perks of being the boss and his date.

"You", Nicole's voice was playful as she answered,

"What about me?" he asked as he sipped the glass of water placed in front of them,

She shrugged, "You like all that attention, don't you?" she hooked her thumb towards the entrance where the camera crew were standing,

"Kind of", he had a smile on his face and a spark in his eyes, enough evidence that he enjoyed the attention, "They give me the attention I need. It's very important for the business", he shrugged.

She hummed in reply and placed her hand on the table. Immediately she felt the richness of the silk under her fingers. Before she realized she was talking aloud, she asked, "Do you think I should use such table cloths in my café? They might look good". Her face turned away from his in embarrassment. She did not want to talk about her silly café this night. Then why did you bring it up? Her subconscious asked,

"No, I don't think so", Salim's answer startled her. She was not expecting an answer at all and she turned her head to look at him. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, like when he was choosing his designs and models. "Your café is themed for romance and this kind of table cloth is meant for drama. They won't fit in with your theme. And more over plastic table cloths are more reasonable for a café. You don't want to struggle with the laundry whenever a customer drops his coffee on the table, do you?" he said.

Nicole nodded with a nervous chuckle, "Yeah. Customers do that a lot. Especially those young teenage lovers who are always playful on their dates, drop a lot of things on the table", she shook her head at the memories.

Salim hummed along with her. "Teenage love. Do you believe in it?" Salim's question surprised her. Were they going to discuss love? Should she tell her how she's feeling? Or should she.... Her thoughts were everywhere.

***

He could kick himself for asking that question. Her surprised face was enough to tell him that she wasn't ready to discuss it yet. Then why did he ask that? May be, he just wanted to know what her opinion was about it?! Who was he kidding? He could never lie to himself. The moment since he realized his true feelings towards Nicole, he so badly wanted to express them. Not only to her, but to the entire world. He wanted to claim her as his, for eternity.

He was about to say 'forget it' when she answered, "I think the love we experience in our childhood and during our old age are the only true " she shrugged,

"And why is that?" he asked casually but his heart was beating like crazy

She shrugged again, "I think that... when we are young, we don't think about the pluses and minus' of falling in love like we do when we get a little old. We don't care about the society, its rules, the do's and don'ts and other materialistic stuff like money, looks and status, cause we don't even know what they mean when we're too young. So, that' true love because it is unbiased. And similarly when we are old, when we have seen everything in life – the up's and down's, the laughter and tears, when we have faced every cruelty the life put us through and we have left nothing to fight for or lose for, then of course we couldn't care less about what other's will think and there's not even too much time to think about the benefits of love so, then, the love we feel is true. We only love the person, and not what he does or what he earns or how he looks, because none of them matter in the end. It's true love".

Salim stared at her for a few more minutes. His eyes were drinking up her beauty reminiscing each and every feature of her. For the first time, she looked beautiful. Not just her looks but her heart and soul even. He looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. He loved her. He loved her more, with each word she spoke. He didn't know why, but her words touched his heart. And he wanted that kind of love with her. Unbiased, uncaring and completely true.

"A very good evening, ladies and gentlemen", the voice from the host made his look away from her and towards the stage. He clapped along with everyone else when the host said something, but he couldn't hear a word. His focus was entirely hijacked by the beauty sitting beside him and he couldn't wait to take her home.

***

During the entire program Salim sat quiet. She didn't know what she said, that made him so silent, but since she made her opinion known about 'love', the quiet etched. Did she do something wrong? Should she have not said it? God! She should have said something less philosophical and more seductive. Something like..... damn! She has been too out of practice in the art of seduction. She cursed herself for some time. She thought he was upset at first, but as the night progressed, the silence turned into something else altogether.

As the dinner was served, she didn't even have the appetite to stomach anything. She reached for the glass of Champaign when her hand accidentally brushed against his and she felt that electric shock. Her eyes locked with his stormy dilated eyes, making her gasp in surprise. She knew that look and she finally understood the tension filled silence too.

She was making a small talk with one of the leading male model who was seated on their table when Salim's hand sneaked onto her thigh, giving it a warning squeeze. She hissed at him. "what are you doing" to which he just narrowed his eyes in a silent warning and whispered in her ear, "do not talk to him like that".

She wanted to ask, "Like what?" but she didn't. She wasn't sure why Salim was feeling so jealous, but she liked it. She reveled in his possessiveness. There was a sense of belonging in it.

For the rest of the night, his hand stayed there. On her thigh, so close to her private part which was drenched in desire and passion. Whenever someone asked her to dance, Salim politely and a little rudely declined their offer claiming that she wasn't feeling well, though it was not his place to reject them. But it wasn't what irked Nicole, it was the fact that he didn't even ask her to dance that made her angry.

She couldn't understand him at all tonight. He was smiling a minute, then he was brooding another. He was angry at her, and he also bore that hungry look in his eyes. He was an epitome of 'complicated' and that made her angry.

Finally when he was done answering all the queries of the press, he made his way towards her, near their limo.

"Can we leave", she couldn't keep the snappiness out of her tone. He frowned at her tone but nodded nonetheless.

"You okay?" he asked after the limo moved, to which she just shook her head. It's not like she haven't enjoyed the night, because she did. But his silence was starting to bother her, and she wasn't ready to buy that it was just because he was aroused. "What are you not telling me?" he asked narrowing his eyes.

"I am not telling you?" she scoffed, "Look who's talking", she glared at him. "You barely spoke two sentences all night. Not even during your speech, did you mention me. And when a few gentlemen noticed my despair and asked me to dance, you had to steal that away as well. But did you ask me for a dance? No", she spat.

Suddenly she was yanked from her seat by her shoulders and placed on his lap. "Is this why you're so angry?" he stared into her eyes and she had no option but to look back into his, while answering.

"Yes", she whispered, suddenly feeling like a spoiled brat.

"Do you want to know, why I did not ask you to dance?" he asked narrowing his eyes dangerously, she merely nodded.

And in a split second his lips were on hers, devouring each and every inch of her mouth. He did not wait for her entrance, but he plunged his tongue into her mouth taking everything she gave and even more. His hands grabbed her waist and pulled her on top so that she was straddling him.

Her hands got lost in his hair and his lips nibbled softly on her lips. A surprise gasp escaped her lips when she felt the inevitable hardness under her. Salim chuckled softly against her lips, nuzzling her cheek with his nose, "Now you know why I didn't ask you to dance. I can't touch you without getting hard instantly" and his lips were back on hers.

A moan reverberated from the back of her throat as she traced his muscles underneath the fabric. His hands moved towards her exposed thigh as he bunched her dress around her waist. He caressed them with his calloused fingers, and squeezed them gently as his lips trailed towards her jaw and lower towards her throat. He feathered hot, open mouthed kisses along her throat towards her chest, which earned him another moan.

He groaned against her hot skin and lifted her off his lap in a swift movement. He smacked his lips to hers in a sound peck, before running his hands through his hair. "Another minute and I would have taken you in here", he shook his head.

She didn't correct him by saying that she didn't mind the idea. She was ready for this. For him. She has waited too long to have second thoughts right now. A blush crept from her neck to her cheeks at the erotic thoughts she had.

He glanced at her sideward's and instantly regretted it. She looked ravishing with her dress crinkled and her hair disheveled. Her lipstick was smudged and her cheeks flushed. She adjusted her dress, dusting off the wrinkles fruitlessly.

She locked her eyes with his for a second and immediately looked away. She couldn't look at his stormy eyes and not want to jump his bones. And she definitely couldn't handle these raw, passionate feelings she was experiencing right now. She couldn't wait to be with him.

"Soon baby" he muttered, "Soon" he said like he just heard what she was thinking.