An Offer She Can't Refuse. Shoma Narayanan
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that Mallika worked for was seriously considering stopping investment in properties that were under construction.
The kitchen was dark as well. The cook would have gone home some hours ago, leaving dinner out in microwaveable dishes for Mallika and Aryan. She wasn’t particularly hungry, but dinner was the only meal she could make sure her brother actually ate.
The lights in his room were on, and she knocked before entering.
‘Aryan? Dinner?’ she asked, her heart twisting as she watched him hunch over his laptop. It was as if he didn’t see the world around him any more, finding reality in the flickering screen of his computer instead.
‘In a minute,’ he said, not even looking up.
‘Did you have lunch?’ she asked, and he shrugged.
‘Lalita gave me something,’ he said. ‘You go ahead and eat—you must be tired.’
It was a measure of how little she expected from him that she actually felt pleased he’d realised how exhausted she was. Leaving him to his computer, she went back to the kitchen—she’d make sure he had something to eat later.
For the last couple of days she’d not been able to get Darius out of her head. The way he’d looked at her, his smile, his voice—it felt as if she’d spent hours with him rather than just a few minutes.
He’d said he’d be in touch, but two days had gone by and he hadn’t called. Maybe he’d found someone else more suitable for the role. Someone who didn’t spot their boss and freak out halfway through a discussion, or run out on him without warning.
Idly she opened the contact list in her phone and stated scrolling down it. Darius Mistry. She had his mobile number and his email ID, and the temptation to drop him a text or a short email was huge. She could apologise once again for running out on him. Or tell him that she’d changed her mind about the job.
When it came to professional communications she was confident and practical, but somehow with Darius she found herself prevaricating. Her shyness prevented her from getting in touch for anything other than strictly business reasons.
She was still mulling things over when her phone rang, and she almost dropped it in surprise.
‘I was just thinking about you,’ she blurted out, and then blushed furiously. Darius was probably already convinced of her weirdness—she didn’t need to make it worse. ‘I mean … I was just thinking over what you said about this being the right stage in my career to change jobs …’
‘Reconsidering, I hope?’ he said smoothly, and went on without waiting for her to answer. ‘Look, I know you’ve said you’re not interested, but I’ve interviewed around a dozen completely unsuitable people and I’d really like a chance to pitch the job to you again. Preferably in a place where your boss isn’t likely to land up and ruin my sales pitch.’
One part of her felt disappointed that he hadn’t called just to speak to her, but she shook herself crossly. Of course his interest in her was purely professional. What had got into her?
‘I’m really not interested in changing jobs, Darius,’ she said, firmly suppressing the little voice in her head that told her to go and meet him anyway. ‘And I’ve wasted your time once already—I wouldn’t want to do it again.’
Darius briefly considered telling Mallika that time spent with her would definitely not be wasted, but he bit the words back. This wasn’t a seduction, and he’d already made it clear that when it came to business he was as determined as she to get what he wanted.
‘It’s part of my job,’ he said lightly. ‘Even if you don’t want to join us now, at least I’ll get to tell you about the company—and who knows? Maybe you’ll want to join at some later time.’
‘All right, then,’ Mallika conceded. ‘When shall I meet you?’
‘Tomorrow,’ he said decisively. ‘Lunch at one of the restaurants in Lower Parel? That’s nearer my office than yours, and hopefully we won’t run into anyone you know.’
Darius was beginning to wonder if he’d been stood up when Mallika finally walked into the restaurant. The first thing that struck him was that there was a strained expression in her lovely eyes. The second was that she looked anything but tomboyish now.
Granted, her hair was still styled for convenience rather than glamour, and her make-up was kept to the bare minimum. But she was wearing a sari today—a dark blue silk affair, with a muted print—and her figure was spectacular in it. And her spontaneous smile when she saw him was the best welcome he could ever have hoped for.
He stood as she walked up to him, and Mallika began to feel ridiculously nervous. It was a Friday and he was dressed casually, in a white open-necked cotton shirt over jeans. His thick hair looked slightly damp from the shower, and she had a second’s insane urge to reach up and run her fingers through it.
To cover her confusion she held out her hand, and he took it, briefly clasping it between both his hands before he let go.
‘Hi,’ she said. ‘I’m not too late, am I?’
He shook his head. That smile had lit up her face, but now the worried expression was back in her eyes.
‘Is everything okay?’ he asked quietly once they were both seated and the waiter had put their menu cards in front of them and retired to a safe distance.
Her eyes flew up to his. ‘Yes, of course,’ she said, sounding just a little defensive.
Aryan was going through a particularly problematic phase, and in the normal course of things she wouldn’t have left him alone at home. But she’d promised Darius, and there were meetings in the office that she couldn’t avoid. Just this once Aryan would have to manage on his own, with just Lalita the cook to check on him.
‘You look tense,’ he said. ‘Like you’re trying to remember whether you locked your front door when you left. Don’t worry about it—burglars are usually deeply suspicious of open doors. If it’s unlocked, there’s absolutely no chance of a break-in.’
She laughed at that. ‘What if I did lock it?’
‘Ah, then I hope you have a good security system.’
‘A simple lock, and a brother who won’t notice if someone puts every single thing in the house into packing cases and carries them away under his nose. As long as they don’t touch his computer.’
He smiled, his eyes crinkling up at the corners in a maddeningly attractive way. ‘Sounds like my kind of guy. Younger brother?’
Mallika nodded. She hardly ever mentioned Aryan in casual conversation, and the ease with which the reference had slipped out surprised her. Darius was beguilingly easy to talk to—she’d need to be on her guard a little.
The waiter was hovering behind her, and she turned her attention to the menu.
‘The fish is good,’ Darius said.
‘It looks delicious,’ Mallika said, glancing at the next table, where another waiter had just deposited two plates of grilled fish. ‘I’m vegetarian, though.’
‘Then the gnocchi?’ he said. ‘Or the spaghetti in pesto sauce?’
Mallika finally chose the spaghetti, and a glass of wine to go with it—Darius, who’d never paid good money for a vegetarian meal before in his life, found himself ordering grilled vegetables and pasta. A lot of strict vegetarians were put off by someone eating meat at the same table, and he definitely didn’t want to risk that. He was on a charm offensive today, and determined to win her over.
‘How’s your boss?’ he asked.
‘She’s miffed I didn’t tell her I was dating someone,’ Mallika said with a sigh. Vaishali was a lovely person, but the concept of personal space was completely alien to her. ‘She wanted to invite both of us to her house for dinner—I had a devil of a time