The Burnt – Chapter 29

Geet looked at Savitri Devi in shock. This thought never crossed her mind, nor had she ever planned to make her appearance in his office.

“Nahi… woo nahi… he will be busy in meetings, and I will disturb him by being there.”

“It is your right to disturb him. One day, he took you for a long drive, showed you dreams, and then returned to his office. How is your story going to move forward if you leave Maan in his office like this?”

This was a completely unexpected idea, and Geet was left thinking

“It won’t be odd?” she asked, skeptical yet liking the idea

“Geet, your husband owns that place. How is your visiting him be odd?”

*********

Exactly at 11:30 a.m., Geet’s car entered the parking lot of the huge Khurana Enterprise head office of European zone.

The nervousness took over her as the realization sunk in — she was in his office. First time ever, as his wife.

Geet mentally scolded herself – “Dadima keeps giving ideas, doesn’t mean you should take them all seriously”

She had gold parking card and VVIP family entry card for office. Thanks to Dadima.

Desperate! Is exactly how she felt about herself.

The idea of her in his office had never crossed his mind. The reason she didn’t possess special power cards.

She felt like she is barging into his professional zone.

As she stepped into the grand parlor, leading to main entrance of the office, Geet straightened herself, soon bringing her confidence back — Setting up and running a company in partnership, she had good professional confidence.

She pressed her card and door clicked, authorizing her. Geet stepped inside and was awed by the elegance and grandeur. The central area was semi-circular with a multi foyer high. A grand beautiful chandelier hanging at the top.

This central area that she was standing on was a beautiful seating zone for employees and visitors. Circling around was the multi-floor glass covered area – main office zone.

Grand! Elegant! Classy! Affluent! – Well, she was not expecting any other than these. But Maan’s elegance and thoughts starts from where everyone else ends.

Geet went to the reception “Yes ma’am, who do you have to meet?”  asked the receptionist

“Maan.. Maan Khurana”

“Excuse me?”

“Maan Khurana” Geet repeated clearly and confidently.

 “Do you have an appointment with him?”

“No. I don’t need one. I’m family. This is a surprise visit.” She showed her family entry card.

“One second…” she pulled out the family visitor list.

“Sorry ma’am you are not in family list. The security here does not allow me to give you permission. It’s about boss’ security and office security”

 Of course, Geet was not there in the list. Getting her there must not have crossed Maan’s mind. It was far beyond his imagination that she would give him a visit in a busy office day.

Geet took a deep breath. By no means was the receptionist wrong. 

“I can give him a call but this is a surprise visit” Geet tried to explain. Why did she not anticipate that the security will be this tight. Of course it will be.

“I can make you talk to Savitri Devi…. His grandma.” Geet offered.

“Ma’am, you are a family. You should know how it works.” In the meanwhile, receptionist, as trained, gave a short alert message to Boss’s PA.

“How are you related to Mr. Khurana?” She enquired, buying the time as she messaged the needed people.

Geet opened her mouth but then shut up. Not knowing if that will be okay to reveal their relationship. They have not yet come out publicly.

In the tenth floor, Pari was in her cabin, preparing for the meeting her boss has lined up today, when the alert notification came.

“Security concern. Immed Attn.”

Pari rushed to the elevator.

Geet was impressed by the receptionist.

In no time, she saw a senior man in formals approaching from one end and from other, a young pretty girl, running in her high heels and tight short skirt, paired with plain top and blazer.

But surprisingly, both froze in their place as they reached the same distance closer to her.

They exchanged glances and then the senior man in crisp formals took steps further. Extending his hand towards her

“Hi, Brenden Turner, Chief security officer here”

“Hi… I am Gee…. Misty Khurana”

“Pari is Mr. Khurana’s PA. She will lead you to his cabin”

Geet narrowed her brows “No further enquiry?”

“No, you are good.” He said, bringing a small smile to his face

“You’ll know why”

Cryptic!  Geet thought.

But soon her attention went to Pari, his PA.

Without a word Pari led her towards elevator.

Pari was silent, unlike to how Geet had heard her talk with Maan in the car.

The elevator opened at the tenth floor. Pari let Geet through the lobby, turned to east wing.

She stopped before the grand office cabin, her eyes settling on the nameplate mounted beside the door.

MAAN SINGH KHURANA
President & CEO

Pari opened the door for Geet and followed her inside.

In the beautifully decorated office, Geet’s eyes went on the side wall. It was impossible to miss out. The huge portrait consisting the closeup of her smiling face covered the most part of it. Her smiling face, popping out alive from it.

“Even here” she murmured to herself

“Now you know why Mr. Turner had no question about you?”

Geet turned to Pari.

“You sound irritated”

“Because I have no reason to be very excited.”

“Do you have any idea who you are talking to” Geet said in a stern tone.

“Off course, I have. You are the one who has left my boss stranded in life. While he has dedicated his life to someone like you. This wall says it all”

“Do you know your job? And do you realize his personal concerns are not your responsibilities?”  Geet reminded Pari. But Pari was in her flow now

“Young, dynamic, handsome, most wanted among girls…… has no interest in girls. Doesn’t even respond to flirts by this young, beautiful Pari. You know what his mini breaks are?”

Geet opened her mouth to speak but Pari continued

“His breaks are – looking at this wall!…. at picture of a woman who had abandoned him.”

“You like him?” Geet asked straight

“Which fool won’t like him. He is the most desirable man. But I know my limits and I know he is out of my league. Also, I will not give my heart to someone who is still in love with a woman who had vanished from his life… leaving him longing for her… endlessly.”

Geet calmly crossed her arms across her chest “And he has given you the right to peek into his life? You have no idea who I am.”

Geet was clearly not liking his PA being involved in his life

 “You are badly crossing your boundaries” Geet warned.

“I do not know who you are, and I do not care. I wonder how he can keep madly loving a heartless woman like you. Why are you back in his life?”

“PARIIII…… HOW DARE YOU?”

Both Geet and Pari turned hearing Maan’s angry voice

“Get out and be ready for HR action for this misbehavior with my guest”

“Boss… I….”

“Without a word – Get out…. NOW” Seeing Maan’s anger and temper, Pari slipped out.

“Close the door before you leave,” he ordered.

Maan’s fuming face and his shivering voice due to anger now scared Pari of consequences as she left.

Maan rushed to Geet “I am sorry… how dare she…… what more had she been saying to you?”

“Maan its okay. I don’t care. I’m here for you”

“No… not at all. This is not tolerable. Why did you let her speak? Her job was to just lead you to my cabin… not acceptable at all… damn… it’s all my fault.”

He shook his head “You are here for the first time. It is such a big surprise, so special. And, this is how you were welcomed. I feel ashamed”

Geet cupped Maan’s face

“Maan, I am good. Unknown people don’t affect me. I came here to give you a surprise, not to get you into guilt. It’s her perspective and her observation. I do not want to spoil our time for someone else’ behavior”

Maan softly took her palms off his cheeks; held them in his

“Yeah, you are right. No one needs that importance. I will look into that matter later”

“You are not taking her job…” Geet warned

Maan looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and shrugged, his expression saying, ‘Really?’

“She cares for you” Geet argued on his expression

“She was insensitive to you and misbehaved. No way she is getting away with such behavior. Everyone should know how to behave with you and not poke their nose in my personal life. And….”

Maan paused. Realizing that he was further spoiling the meaning of her surprise visit.

He bore his gaze into hers, pressed the button on his cell, which let all the blind to fall down.

Bringing a smile to his face, wrapped her hands around his waist

“You are there to care for me. I am not interested in anyone else’s care.”

Blush formed on her face as Maan pulled her closer. The closeness, the initiation of possessiveness, his fragrance… filled her with anticipation of what it all meant when Maan comes in this mode; Geet placed her head on his chest

“My wife is a professionally very busy person. I’m wondering, what urgency brought you here?” Maan teased her.

Geet looked up at him “I came here to give you a surprise but I learnt it is not easy to give surprises to Maan Singh Khurana”

“You didn’t tell them – you are my wife?”

“I didn’t know if that would be okay for you. In your office, you have ways to conduct thing. And our relationship is not public ….”

Before she could say anything more, Maan placed a finger gently over her lips and pulled her closer, effortlessly closing the distance she had created between them.

Geet could feel his possessiveness emerging – the one who didn’t like even the slightest distance between them, the one who could never keep his hands off her for long.

With the authority of owning her, he wrapped his hands fully around her

“You are my wife, and you don’t need to think about any outcome or reservation when it comes to claiming that. We’ll make a public appearance very soon. I’m working on making it impactful.

“But that doesn’t mean you have to think twice before declaring it anywhere you need to. Unless you want us to take some more time before we make it known to everyone. In that case…”

“I was, am, and will always be your wife. That is my most favorite and dreamy status,” she said, her face growing even redder as she felt his hands gently roaming over her back.

She was very well aware of what the restlessness of his hands around her meant.

Back then, clothes would have been torn away by now. He wouldn’t have cared that they were in his office. He simply didn’t care.

And she could sense it—he wasn’t very far from surfacing again.

And Bonus! This time, he wouldn’t stop himself by claiming it wasn’t love.

“Unhh… hnnn…” Geet cleared her throat to get the grip of warm fluid rushing through her veins.

“I made lunch for you. Thought of bringing it myself.”

Wrapping one arm around her, he placed his other palm on her upper back, right between her shoulder blades, getting a good hold of her.

“You were missing me,” he corrected her.

“And you were not missing me?”

“I have been missing you since then… The ache of it has become a part of me.”

He said it openly, looking deep into her eyes. His fingers continued to move restlessly over her back.

“Maan…”

“Hmmm…” He pulled her even closer, leaving barely any space between them, if there was any. Geet could feel the closeness of being held against his strong frame.

“You want to witness just how much I have missed you?”

Geet was filled with shyness. He didn’t even need to make skin contact to melt her.

“You should have lunch before it gets cold” She tried speaking. Her voice barely making past her lips.

A reminder for a meeting in fifteen minutes popped up on his screen.

“You have a meeting coming up. I’ll set the table for us” Geet said, finding a chance to get hold of her heart.

Maan released her and picked the desk phone to make a call.

“For the upcoming two meetings, I won’t be available. There’s no need to reschedule them. Ask them to continue.”

“Okay sir” Pari said, not daring to get into argument like her regular self.

“You didn’t need to do that.” Geet knew how important his work is for him.

“I wanted to do that. If you can bunk your office, I can definitely cancel couple of meetings” he said getting her wrist into his grip and swiping her back to him.

“I didn’t bunk my office” Geet defended like a child being caught

Maan smiled and looked at her “ann hnnn… really?” She smiled in answer.

This is the new side of him. In all the challenges, pain, and responsibilities life has thrown his way, he never realized he’s quite good at teasing and irritating people in a good way.

“Let me go. I need to set the food”

He instead tightened his grip “I am extremely surprised by this visit of yours. And, I feel very encouraged”

“Encouraged…?”

Before she could complete her question, his hands had found the bottom edge of her silk shirt. He pushed his hands inside the shirt, and for the very first time, after so many years, his hands touched her skin — not melting, but burning her”

“Maan…” Geet clutched his crisp white shirt in her palm, gluing onto him

“Encourage to never let you go…. Never. So don’t try to make excuses. It won’t work with me, you know, right?”

“Maan, it’s your office” Geet hissed. It was such a heavenly feeling. As if getting her life back after drowning.

“Hmmm… I know” He let her loose only momentarily to reached for his desk phone

“Send someone to set up the lunch.”

“Okay” Pari answered and he disconnected.

“Hmm… so…” he brought his focus back to his wife

“You came only for lunch… umm?” he probed. But then there was distracted by continuous notification

“Take a seat, I will quickly check the messages and mute them”

Geet settled onto the sofa in the guest seating area at the far corner of his office, her eyes wandering over the grandeur and luxury of his lavish workspace.

She, too, quickly glanced at her office mailbox.

Geet was absorbed in the series of emails and messages, when Maan’s eyes went on her and he could not stop sneaking at her.

After their small morning picnic trip that day, Maan had left for his two-week business trip. But the trip had been more than just business-critical. He had also used that time to ponder about them.

A wife needs to see your most real part — the raw, the core of what you are.

And he had made his decision.

Maan was lost in her when Geet turned toward him, finding his gaze fixed on her.

“I thought you had to check your messages,” she teased with a smile.

Maan kept a straight face. “It’s always hard to focus around you. But I was thinking about something else.”

“What?” Geet raised her eyebrows.

“I’m wondering if you lied.”

“Lied? About what?” She looked confused. Somehow, that didn’t sound like a compliment.

“I think you left the house for your office, but then took a detour to mine.”

“Maan, why would you think that?” Her confusion only deepened.

Maan got up from his chair and walked over to where she was seated.

He settled down close to her. “Your getup.”

His eyes traveled slowly from top to bottom, taking in every detail of what she was wearing.

Then, raising his hand, he placed a finger on the tip of her shoulder and slowly traced it down along her arm, following the smooth silk of her sleeve.

“This formal trouser and full-sleeved silk shirt…” His eyes moved over her, a sly smile playing on his lips. “It doesn’t exactly give the vibe of a woman coming to meet her lover.”

Geet turned red, as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her face.

“This is your office. What did you expect?” she tried to defend herself, though even to her own ears, it sounded like a weak argument.

“Exactly. It’s my office. You didn’t come here to work for me; you came here for me,” he said, now leaning closer to her.

“And that too, when you very well know…” His voice dropped, his eyes holding hers. “I like easy access to my things.”

Damn.

The words landed like an arrow straight to her heart—aimed with deadly precision and hitting its target.

She was completely flushed, left with no words.

He lifted his fingers to her face, sensually tracing the delicate frame of it.

Geet was warm, hot, flushed—and what not. Every possible emotion seemed to be coursing through her at once.

This was only a glimpse of the Maan she had known.

His hand moved down to her neck, his thumb gently rubbing over her soft skin.

“From next time, take care,” he demanded.

“You’re talking shameless,” she managed to say.

But she was crazily in love with his passion for her. He was never an easy lover to handle, but now that passion was mixed with love instead of ego, she was ready to take it all.

“You know I am,” he said, bringing his face so close to hers that she could feel the warmth of his breath.

“Seems like your memory of how I am has faded. Need to brush that up soon.”

“Maan….” She hissed.

“thukh-thuck”

“Come in” he swiftly made the distance. Stood in front of her, as the attendant entered, giving her the time to gather herself.

PRECAP:

Unwanted Guests

Showdown with Maan

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