Chapter Twenty-Five Rajneet

Raj was bone-tired and feeling even more wrung out by the minute. She gave a weak smile to the attendant at the security desk as she walked into Bharat’s offices. It was late, and most of the staff had gone home for the night, but Ajay had asked for her to meet him there.

As she took the elevator to his floor, she registered every ache and twinge. All she’d done was stand in front of a gaggle of reporters for an hour, then take calls, do interviews and issue statements. Her staff had humbled her with their support. The only person who had been fired up was Robert. She pulled out her cell phone again and read his last few messages.

ROBERT:You bitch!!!! Better prepare yourself for court! You cost me my job!!!

RAJ:No, you cost you your job. Also, our divorce proceeding has been moved up. You violated the confidentiality agreement. Now every penny we have is mine.

ROBERT:FUCK YOU! LIKE HELL! I’ll fight you tooth and nail, Raj!

RAJ:Texting in caps is so juvenile, Robert.

She slipped her phone back into her pocket as she keyed into the double doors of Bharat, Inc. The lights were mostly off, and she heard the faint hum of a vacuum cleaner from one side of the floor. She followed the walls to the corner office, but it was dark. Did he forget?

No way. Ajay never forgot things like this. At least, he hadn’t in the time that she’d known him. She put her bag down on his desk and, with phone in hand, walked the floor to find him.

He was in the boardroom. The lights were off, and he stood facing the windows with the twinkling lights spread out in front of him. The city was always a breathtaking place. The best part was that every view Ajay shared with her was different and special in its own way.

He turned, his silhouette illuminated by the power of the night sky.

“There you are,” he said.

“I am so glad today is finally over.” She closed the door behind her.

“It’s been quite eventful, although I believe it was more interesting for you than me.”

When he lifted a hand, she rounded the table so that she could take it. “I should’ve told you I was going to attack WTA, but before I went to do the press conference, I had a few visitors.”

“Really? Who?”

“Well, I already told you about your mother. She fed me, told me to change my clothes so I looked presentable, and then held my hand the whole way to the press conference. She is so insightful. That’s where you get it from, I think.”

“Mmm-hmm. Maybe.” She fit under his arm and let out a sigh as he brought her close. “Where is Khunda?”

“With your mother, actually. She asked if she could dogsit.”

Ajay tilted his head back and laughed. “You’re kidding me.”

“Nope. I was told that if she couldn’t have grandchildren, then she’d take the next best thing. Honestly, her backhanded compliments are inspiring. She’s ruthless.”

“What? You think the hard decisions that made Bharat what it is came from my father?”

Raj grinned for the first time all day. “And that is why her advice was so valuable to me. Because she knows how to make the hard decisions. Ajay, I think I’m going to see my mother.”

She registered the surprise on his face.

“Are you sure?”

Raj nodded. After her brother had left, and after she was able to focus on other things once the press conference ended, she had the niggling feeling of regret in her heart. She didn’t want to feel anything other than acceptance when it came to her family. Unfortunately, that would mean having to see her brother again, too.

Ajay linked his hands with Raj’s. “Do you want me to come with you? We can take the jet and spend as much time there as you want.”

Her heart swelled with so much love for him. It was so soon, so early, but that didn’t matter. She’d spent years in a loveless relationship, an arrangement, so she knew without a doubt what her feelings were.

“I would like that a lot,” she whispered, and tilted her face up to kiss him.

When the kiss never came, she narrowed her eyes. “I think you missed your cue there.”

He shook his head. “I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

He led her to the far end of the table, where one recessed light brightened the table and chair. A manila folder and ballpoint pen sat in front of the chair. Ajay ushered her to sit down. “I have another proposition for you.”

“You want to talk business? Ajay, we’ve both had an incredibly long day.”

He rolled his eyes at her, which only made her want to grab the pen and jab him with it. She was about to say so when he opened the folder in front of her.

“This is a personal partnership. I want you to know what the terms are before our relationship continues any further.”

Raj tried to focus, tried to concentrate on the words in front of her. They slowly began to take shape, and when she realized what they said, her love grew exponentially.

“This is an employment agreement,” she whispered. “To work as part of HAZ Enterprises as president of the Singh Foundation.”

“You get to do what you want... but you also will be working with the family. You’ll be working with me.”

“Ajay, I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes. Tell me you’ll be my family, my future. If you don’t like it, then I’ll do what I can to help you create your second life, but all I’m asking is that I’m a part of it. What do you think?”

“I think that the terms aren’t very clear, and I’m going to need additional information.”

His brows V’d. “Additional information? Like what?”

She reached out and unbuckled his belt. “Like do I have any benefits with the role, and will I have to be discrete about using them?”

Understanding brightened in his eyes. “How could I forget?”

They made quick work of his pants and then hiked her dress up over her hips.

She already knew what he wanted, and he gave her what she needed. He tugged her hair, and the tiny prickle of pain and pleasure had her moaning as she bent over the table. She heard him unwrap the condom, and then felt him enter her in one steady push. Her hands spread over the polished wood as Ajay began pumping inside her.

“Yes,” she cried, pushing back against him, begging for more, aching for release. He pulled her hair again with one hand, and then reached in front of her to pinch her nipples. She tried desperately not to scream in case one of the cleaning crew came in. “Yes, Ajay, I want it. I want you.”

“Are you mine, baby?” He panted as he sped up. “I’m yours, so you’re mine, right?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” she chanted.

She begged him to fuck her as hard as he could, making promises in the height of her ecstasy. She came in one bright burst of pleasure.

Then, as the night sky brightly twinkled on beyond the windows, Ajay flipped her over and pushed her onto the table. He crawled on top of her and entered her again. This time, Ajay gripped her ankles and held her legs up and wide. It didn’t take too long for her to come again, and this time, her love was with her.

He collapsed on top of her, and they lay like that, half dressed, heaving for air, for a long time. Raj ran her fingers through Ajay’s hair and told him the only secret that she’d kept from him. The words came from her heart.

“I’m in love with you, Ajay.”

“I’m in love with you, too,” he whispered back.

She held his face in her hand, reveling in the feel of his beard. “Ajay Singh?”

He looked down at her, smiling with lingering pleasure in his eyes. “Raj Hothi?”

“Let’s do business together. I’m in if you’re in.”

“Always, Raj. With you? Always.”