She lost it as soon as his lips lifted. “Oh my God, you’re here for real,” Tanya whispered, before she ran towards him.
He caught her easily, surprise and joy warring against each other. He gently led her to his cabin, closing the door. “How are you?”
Tanya looked into his tired eyes, her own eyes welling with helpless tears. He seemed to have lost some of his spark.
“How are you? Why are you in so early?” Neil caught her arms, his dark brown eyes searching her wet, gray ones.
Tanya felt a spark of anger come out of nowhere.Why care now? Didn’t you leave without saying goodbye?She stiffened and tried to move away. “Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” The fury, hurt, and confusion was evident on her face. She tried to wriggle out of his embrace.
Neil easily fielded her, his arms tightening around her. Something flashed in his eyes before he deliberately blanked his expression. If anything, it seemed to spur her anger more. She didn’t know whether it was his deliberate attempt to act disinterested, or his callous attitude towards her, Tanya moved closer to him in determination. She went on tiptoes simultaneously pulling his neck downwards. Before either of them realized what was happening, Tanya closed her lips around Neil’s. Not giving him the time or space to move away, she moved her lips over his, silently urging him to open up. When he let her in slightly, her tongue swept his mouth shyly.
Neil was rooted to the spot in complete shock. It didn’t strike him that she was kissing him, not until she hesitantly deepened the kiss. The red-hot desire kicked in, and he groaned and took control when her tongue came out to tease him. He caught her hair and tilted her face, before allowing his tongue to mate with hers.
Tanya felt Neil moving her. She vaguely registered her back hitting against a wall. She sighed into his mouth just when Neil flattened her against the wall, leaning into her. His mouth wrenched away from hers, moving to her neck. He bit the side of her neck before licking the same spot.
“God, yes! Please…” Tanya hardly registered what she was saying.
Neil caught her waist and brought her against his hips. She gasped, her head falling backward when she felt him against her belly. Tanya opened her eyes with a jolt. She stiffened and pushed him away when she realized they were inside his workspace.
Before Neil could utter a word, she ran out of his cabin. She was shivering uncontrollably by the time she reached the ladies room in the executive floor. Thankfully, no one was around at this hour. She looked at her flushed face, swollen lips, and her desire-filled eyes in the mirror.Is this me? Oh, my God! What have I done? Why did I kiss Neil all of a sudden when I haven’t been able to get on with Ritwik all these months?
At that instant, she realized she wasn’t in love with Ritwik. Not the way she’d imagined all along. She loved him, yes; as a friend and nothing beyond. She knew she had blown the long-ago crush into something big in her mind.Wasn’t it love then?Tanya wanted to scream at all the questions that came to her mind. Worse, she didn’t want to face Neil after she went out. Nervous and confused, Tanya lightly splashed some water on her face and smoothened her hair. She walked back to her cubicle knowing she couldn’t delay getting out of the restroom any further.
“Tanya, glad I caught you. We are all rushing into the meeting. Now that Neil is here in person, let’s start.” Vinay, who headed the sales department, spoke even as he hurried towards the conference room. Tanya nodded and grabbed her laptop. She picked up her pen and notepad before marching towards the conference room.
Almost all the executives were already present and seated. Tanya noticed one vacant seat to Neil’s right. With no other choice, she sat down next to him and opened her laptop. The meeting proceeded even as each executive presented their department’s innovations for the quarter. More than once Tanya felt Neil’s gaze on her. Once, she looked up to find him staring at her. His gaze traveled to her lips before meeting her eyes. Her face flushed in embarrassment, but she pretended to take notes, looking down once again. She bit her lip as the kiss flashed before her eyes. To her horror and dismay, she felt her nipples pebble in reaction. Her pulse gained speed even as she closed her eyes against this ill-timed desire. She prayed no one else noticed her discomfort. But, her prayers ended up in vain when she saw Neil’s eyes darken at her reaction.
Sitting right next to her, he silently cursed everything under the sun when he couldn’t help but be aware of her scent. When he noticed her hands clench and the pointed peaks thrust against her dress, he felt his pants tighten uncomfortably.
As the next presenter explained the latest product innovations from his org, Tanya slowly tried to relax. She’d never felt anything like this in her life. Trying to calm her racing pulse, she breathed in and out and deliberately tried to focus on what was being said.
Two hours later, the men and women stood up, ready to disperse. Some of them wanted to stay back to talk to Neil, while a couple of them hopped out for their next meeting. Ritwik came towards her with a smile. “Lunch? Isn’t it almost time?”
“Sure, just give me a minute. I need to leave my laptop at my desk.”
Ritwik nodded and walked with her to her desk. He dropped a gentle hand at her lower back, guiding her towards her cubicle. They stood by her desk and discussed the meeting, before heading to the cafeteria together. An hour later, Tanya came back to her desk alone. Just as she unlocked her laptop, she got a ping from her boss.Come in. Right now!Not bothering to reply to his message, Tanya carried her notepad and pen as she walked in to Neil’s cabin. Just as the door closed behind her, Neil came up from the wall where he was lounging by the door. He caught Tanya’s wrist and whirled her around.
Tanya yelped in shock. She’d been expecting Neil to be seated at his desk. The notepad and pen fell soundlessly on the carpet as he effortlessly pulled her towards his hard body.
“What the hell are you playing at?” His growl caught her off-guard.
Tanya started trembling the minute he caught her wrist. “Wh..what?” She looked into his furious eyes, confused by his sudden anger. Somehow, she knew this was about the kiss.Am I going to be fired?
“You ask me what? You little tease.” Neil’s grip on her wrist tightened.
“You’re hurting me,” Tanya whispered, her lips barely moving. “If it’s about the kiss, I am sorry. I know it was extremely unprofessional. It won’t happen again.”
Ignoring her words, Neil continued to look into her eyes with the same ferocious expression. “Break up with Chopra.” It wasn’t a question.
Tanya was astonished to see the usually sweet and teasing Neil long gone. In his place was this man with his desire-filled eyes and feral expression. “I..it’s.Ritwik...we haven’t…” Tanya broke off, unsure how to convey whatever was happening in her love life. She barely understood what was happening herself.
“The minute you kissed me, he lost the game. Clearly, he isn’t doing something right. Not if you are in a tearing hurry to get into my clothes. The love of your life isn’t hot enough between the sheets?” Neil almost drawled the last sentence.
Tanya felt the blood drain from her face. She couldn’t believe it was the same man who’d taught her to chase her dreams. Was this the same man who’d lectured about self-worth? Tanya became still, causing him to loosen his fingers around her wrist. When she spoke, her voice was completely flat. “You know, I thought you were a good friend and not just my boss. I admit I always thought Ritwik was the one, I’m not denying that. I thought I wanted him too, yeah. Isn’t it ironic that the very thought of kissing him makes me want to withdraw?”
Tanya paused before continuing. Her face flushed as she spoke in the same tone. “You may not believe it when I say this, I d...don't go around kissing strange men. I don’t even know why I came on to you like that.” Tanya’s eyes turned stricken. “If all I’d ever wanted was…was...gratification, Ritwik was more than…”
Neil didn’t allow her to finish the sentence. He pulled her towards his body, grounding his lips into hers mercilessly. Tanya refused to give in to the kiss. The anger that was in the backburner slowly came up to the surface. Neil Grover could go to hell. She was so done with him, and his hot-and-cold behavior. Tanya struggled against his hold, wanting to shove him away.
