My New Boss - Season 3 - Part 7

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Chapter 7

Arnav’s POV

I don’t like men like Aatish Ghosh who doesn’t leave a chance to flirt with women. The way he reached us and was about to hug Khushi prompted me to pull her to me. Even I fail to understand what made me do that but any other man touching a woman like that, without her permission is not something I can tolerate. What I just realize is that my arm is still at the small back of Khushi as we meet the rest of the people in the party which includes Mitali’s father, the director of the Ghosh Company too. He looks amazingly happy that we could make time for this party. Whilst all are still engaged in the conversation, I feel Khushi’s fingers pushing my palm which has rested on her back. I realize the show is over. Aatish is far away and busy with other women so I don’t need to pretend me and Khushi are together. I take off my palm from her back and she freezes.

“What?” I ask her curiously but she drags my hand and places it on her back again. I really don’t understand what she is upto.

“Take me to the washroom,” she commands.

“What the..” I am about to say more when I feel her skin touching my palm. Okay!! I get it!! Her zip is sliding down, exposing her skin and it needs to be fastened.

“Walk, Mr. Raizada”

“Don’t you dare command me. I know what has to be done and how..” I shout back, and scanning the place real quick, I lead her completely opposite to the washroom.

“I said washroom, didn’t you hear?” she snaps at me again but I don’t care. Pressing my palm to her skin where the cold metal of the dress zip pokes me, I take her to a little isolated area which is separated by tall thick pillars enough to shield us from the rest of the crowd.

She reads my mind and stops her blabber.

“Turn”

Her brows twitch at my command. But she knows I am doing this in her favor. So, she obeys me. Facing one the pillar, turning her back to me, Khushi slides her hair to one side, exposing her creamy soft skin to my eyes. I have to admit this woman is gorgeous and if only she wasn’t so rude to me all the time, plus not the one to snatch my position in the Company, I might have shown some interest in her personally. She tilts her head to the side, breaking my trance and I quickly decide to put our distress at ease.

The zip has stuck and no matter how much I try, it’s giving me a hard time. My knuckles brush her delicate skin, igniting something in my lower body which I prefer to ignore.

“Mr. Raizada are you doing this on purpose?” she scowls.

“Huh” I mutter, stopping my actions. “You aren’t my type, Miss Gupta.”

She rolls her eyes and I continue my efforts to fasten the zip.

“Right. I know your type. Clingy women who brag about their beauty and doesn’t mind spilling dirt on other women’s character.”

I tighten my hold on her zip, staring at her tilted face.

“Like Mitali Ghosh” she adds.

It doesn’t take a second for me to turn her around and crash her to my arms.

“I don’t usually clear my stand to unwanted people but since you mean so much to my father and the company, let me be very clear Miss Khushi Gupta. Mitali and I are friends.. Just friends so you better stop being so jealous of her.”

I know the last line will blow her mind and that’s exactly my intention. She forgets that she is in my arms, that her zip is still unfastened and her creamy silky back is still under my hold.

“Jealous and me?” Khushi grits her teeth. “Mr. Raizada even if you try to flirt with me for decades, you can never charm me.”

I pull her closer than she already is.

“Are you giving me any hint or permission to flirt with you, Miss Gupta?”

I am just teasing her. She gets all flustered at my comment.

“In your dreams” she snaps. “Now you better get back to work and fix my zip or else I will find someone else to do this..”

Someone else? NO damn way I am letting that happen.!! Excuse me? Do I sound like jealous now? Heck No! She pushes me away and then turns her back again to me. This time I don’t play much. Just really focus on getting the job done. Three minutes of silence and I am able to fasten her dress. She takes a sigh of relief and walks away.

“No thank you??” I mock, following her.

“You missed the deadlines Mr. Raizada. It should have taken hardly a minute to get it fixed. Plus, I didn’t like the extra bickering you did.”

I clench my jaw for her arrogance but can I really do anything about it? Nope! I can’t. Leaving her, I join another group to shift my mood. But it takes quite a few minutes to get my lower body back in shape! This is the first time it has shown so much consideration to ache for a woman whom I don’t want to do anything with. That mere thought brings my attention back on her. Khushi Gupta!! A Mystery woman for me. She is so much mechanical to her work that Dad thinks she has lost her personal life completely. She needs some boost to rejuvenate that happiness.

“Where are you lost my boy?” Dad breaks my stupor and for a second, I am speechless. I can’t tell him I am drooling at our Company’s CEO.

“Nowhere. I was thinking about Mom.” I lie but that’s the safest subject to talk right now as I also want to inform Dad something. “Actually, Mom is travelling to Abu Dhabi next week.”

“Abu Dhabi? What work does she have there?” Dad ask curiously.

“One of her friend’s son is getting married there and she wants me to be a part of that wedding.”

Dad smiles.

“Good thought.”

He then pats my back.

“You know when a mother invites her son to attend marriages, it only means she wants her son to settle down soon.”

“What?” I laugh. “No. Mom knows I am not ready for that yet.”

“And why is that?”

Dad’s question has put me in a dilemma.

“You really want to know?”

“Of course, I do.”

His firm response urges me to share my thoughts. Mom and I have had a talk on this subject many a times but with Dad its first.

“I don’t think a successful marriage is in my genes Dad”

My honest statement makes Dad frown.

“What do you mean not in your genes?”

“I don’t know.. I mean.. Look at you and mom. You two had a love marriage and yet you couldn’t stay together.” I shrug.

Dad looks down, and I see guilt washing over his face.

“Dad come on. This is why I asked you if you really want to know what I think about marriage. It’s not about whose fault it was. Mom or yours. I just don’t think I am ready to try a relationship to that level.”

Dad rubs his forehead, displeased by my thoughts but no matter how much he dislikes it now, it’s the truth. I have grown seeing them apart. And in London, that’s exactly how I have seen my friends growing too. Most of them were raised by single parent.

“Arnav,” he finally meets my eyes. “Don’t be so judgmental. Only because me and Mo didn’t work on our marriage doesn’t mean you can’t have a successful relationship.”

“That’s the other way to say ‘Try & Fail’ Dad” I retort. “Sorry but I don’t like to fail so I don’t opt such subjects in my life where I don’t see the guarantee of passing.”

This conversation would have continued had Ghosh family didn’t intrude us for another Pop the Champagne moment.

*******************

Khushi’s POV

Arnav Singh Raizada pops the champagne with the Ghosh family and its that moment which urges me to take some time decoding this man. He said Mitali is only his friend. Could that be true? I don’t really care if they are more than that but I don’t want their so called ‘whatever’ relationship to weaken this venture we have between the two companies.

I sip my mocktail, taking a closer look. The way he behaves with and around his father, shows how much he loves and respects him.

One of my colleagues praises my dress and though I take the compliment, I don’t forget who saved me from the most embarrassing moment tonight. Had Arnav not helped me with fastening the zip, I might have to leave this party without letting anyone know. Even that wouldn’t have sorted my problem as I can never think of hiring a cab alone with a dress malfunction.

I should have thanked him. I didn’t though I really owed him that much if nothing else. But my ego came in between and also something else. I try to ignore thinking about that ‘something else’ but not for too long. My mind coaxes me to recall how I feel different when every time Arnav tries to dominate me. It screws my mind but also challenges me to irk him more. And there’s also this other side of him which makes me feel protected, and safe!! I don’t need a man to safeguard me but the way Arnav took my stand when Aatish flirted, despite we having this heated war between us, proves he is a good man.

The rest of the party goes on and soon we are clicked together before the media. As usual the heads of the two companies share a few bits to the reporters and we have another round of business photos clicked. In most of them, I am much away from Arnav Singh Raizada but this last one, I am put next to him. He glances at me quickly and I do the same.

“I am flying to Abu dhabi next week,” he says out of nowhere, forcing me to gaze back at his face. The media is constantly clicking us and no one is really bothered if we talk.

“With whose permission?” I retort.

His smile for the media turns into a frown as he meets my eyes.

“I don’t need permission to go and meet my mother.”

Mother? Oh! Though I wouldn’t like to intervene here, I still don’t forget the fact that he is getting trained by shadowing me.

“Next week we have a project deal to sign in Muscat, Oman. And as far as I know your father, he will want you to be there as the deal is really crucial for the company.”

Arnav’s thoughtful expressions tells me he is rescheduling things. I had asked Aman to show him the project file of the Oman client.

“Ask Aman to reschedule it.”

“Excuse me?” I shout this time, almost gathering the attention of few reporters but Arnav quickly puts a smile on his face to divert them. “You think business is a joke? Clients cannot be pushed away for our personal calendar. That’s not the code of business.”

“Don’t teach me the code, Miss Gupta. I am just asking you to move the dates ahead.”

“Then so can you. Reschedule your personal plans of Abu Dhabi.”

“I can’t.”

“Why is that?”

The media has left and the crowd slowing getting dispersed.

“It’s a wedding and obviously I can’t make others push their wedding date ahead because you and I want to do business in Oman.”

I exhale, having no idea how to take this forward. There’s only one way though.

“Fine. You attend the wedding; I will handle the deal. Make sure you share the exact dates of your absence with Aman..”

“No effing way I am letting you deal with the Oman client alone. I want to be there when you sign that deal.”

I don’t know if he is doing that on purpose but this is pissing me off.

“It’s your problem them. Either attend the wedding in Abu Dhabi or handle the deal with me in Oman. Choice is yours because I am not ready to risk the clients for your personal agenda.”

Leaving that decision on him, I walk away. It’s his call now and I shall not interfere.

*********************

The party ends comes to an end in another hour and whilst I am about to book a cab to head back home, Ayush Sir interrupts.

“Khushi, don’t bother to book a cab. We will drop you home.”

He is with his son who is glaring at me so I don’t think it’s a pretty good idea for me to share a ride with them.

“That’s okay Sir. I will manage.”

“I insist.” He adds. “And as is, I also have to speak to you both about the Oman deal.”

Now that intrigues me. Since it’s a business discussion, I don’t want to deny. Soon, we three are in a posh car which belongs to the Raizadas. There has been many occasions when I have shared Raizada’s expensive cars with Ayush Sir, but tonight its different. With Arnav Singh Raizada sitting right next to me and his father, opposite to us, facing us is little awkward. He explains how much the deal is important to us and how he wants Arnav to be a part of it. Arnav is about to remind his father about his personal trip to Abu Dhabi when Ayush Sir declares something totally unexpected.

“Since Arnav has to be there in Abu Dhabi and attend the wedding around those same dates, what best we can do is, you two can first fly to Abu Dhabi, attend the wedding which will take around two days. Evenings you two can work together on the deal. Then in two days you can fly to Oman together and sign the deal. That way we won’t miss either.”

I swallow angrily and I am sure Arnav is as annoyed as I am.

To be Continued.

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