Arpitfrowned. "No, you should go on your trip. You two have been planning itfor months." Every time Arpit visited his folks they had maps up of theareas of Switzerland they were hiking through and he knew they had variouslocations booked for the occasional night in a hotel and if they set off latethey'd lose their reservations. "Honestly, I'm okay. You should go on yourtrip, and besides, I can call you if I need to. You guys can call me too,okay?"
Arpitcould almost hear them silently discussing it with looks and gestures at theother end of the phone, something they'd done for as far back as he couldremember.
"Yousure, son?"
"Yeah,Dad. You and Mom go on your trip."
"Yousure you're not pissed at us for not telling you?" His Dad asked bluntly,as was his way.
Arpitsighed. "Honestly, Dad. I'm not angry. I'm a bit shocked, and I can't sayI won't be angry in the future, but if I get angry I know where to findyou."
"Thatyou do, son," His father replied. "You just pick up that phone andwe'll come right back so you can vent your fury for as long as you need."
"CanI just ask, why didn't you tell me?"
"Therewas never a good time for it, honey," His Mom replied. "How do youbring something like that up in conversation?"
"Besides,you would have asked who your parents were, and we would have had to liedirectly to your face, son," His Dad added. "We just couldn't figureout how to tell you."
"Fairenough," Arpit said, managing to sound calm while inside he just wanted tovanish somewhere quiet so he could process it all. "Have a goodtrip."
"Loveyou, honey."
"Loveyou too," Arpit finished and ended the call. He squared his shoulders,took a deep breath and walked back in to see what else the lawyer had to say.
"Everythingokay, Mister Gujju?" Mister Rawal asked as Arpit sat back down.
"Idon't know if I'd describe it as okay," Arpit said a moment later."Right, I've spoken to my parents."
"Soyou know I'm telling the truth then?"
Arpitswallowed and nodded. "Bit of a shock."
"Ibelieve you. Shall I continue?"
"Mightas well," Arpit replied.
"Ashe mentioned in the letter, Mister Jhaveri did his best to keep a discrete eyeon you and your sisters while you were growing up, and he kept private fileswith the information for an occasion such as this. As he also said, we'd likeyou to come to Mister Jhaveri's private Island, where you can meet your sistersand get to know each other without any of the constraints and pressures of theoutside world."
"Whatdoes that mean?" Arpit asked.
"Pressuresand so forth?" The old man asked. Arpit nodded, so he continued. "Togive you one example, Mister Jhaveri was a very recognisable public figure witha long ongoing relationship with the press."
Arpitnodded, having seen him at movie premieres, award shows, chat shows and in thepapers too.
"Thepress are already making enquiries about who will inherit the vast fortune ofthe Jhaveri Empire, and sooner or later someone will remember him in a hospitaltwenty three years ago and either do some digging, or simply open their mouthon their favourite social networking site. In todays instant-media world, it'sonly a matter of hours or days before you and your sisters get tracked down andbeseiged by the media."
"You'reshitting me," Arpit blurted. "Seriously? That's what you think isgoing to happen?"
MisterRawal blinked. "That is what will happen, Arpit. We have experience withthis."
"Iwould have thought they'd....." Arpit trailed off, thinking about it, andhe knew that the old man was right in what he was saying. There would be amedia frenzy, and he'd be right in the middle of it. "Fuck mesideways."
"Isee we're on the same page, Arpit."
"Iguess so," he replied unhappily. "So what happens now?"
"Thereshould be a car outside for you. There's a private jet due to arrive in,"He glanced at his watch, a polished silver pocket watch, then dropped it backin his pocket. "Nine hours time, that's half past eight tonight. Take-offwill be around nine o'clock and the flight from Mumbai to PortblairIsland, thenearest airport to the Island, is around seven hours. From there you'll take aboat for an hour to the Island itself, so you should be there at aroundsunrise."
"Overnightjourney?" Arpit asked, frowning. "It sounds exhausting."
"Unfortunatelywe have to get all three of you to the Island as soon as possible, so it'sunavoidable on this occasion. However." The old man paused. "At theairport will be a woman named Shikha, an Executive Assistant to Mister Jhaveriwith many years experience. She'll be your liaison, your point of contact andyour assistant for the duration of your trip."
"Whydo I need an assistant?" Arpit asked.
"Becauseyou'll have a lot of questions," The old man said simply. "Now,Shikha is very good at her job and she'll be a real asset to you, so make sureyou rely upon her."
"We'llsee," Arpit replied, knowing he still wasn't sure if he was going to go tothis Island at all. The idea of buggering off with his folks seemed appealing,despite his well-known aversion to hiking.
"Inbetween now and tonight you'll have a driver to look after you. Her name isSuman, I'm assured she's very good, and she'll have a few forms for you tocomplete. I also have this for you."
Theold man slid an envelope over the table. Arpit opened it and emptied thecontents. A Visa card, a Mastercard, a clear envelope with cash in it and asmall keyfob.
"What'sall this?"
"Thecredit cards are for you to purchase some suitable clothing for your trip, thecash for if you don't want to use your credit cards or if you need to tip, andthe keyfob is a personal alarm," The old man explained. "If you pushthe red button, a security team will converge on your location and extract youfrom any situation or threat in the vicinity."
"Likebodyguards?" Arpit asked, shaking his head. "This is toosurreal."
"I'dimagine there will be many surreal moments in the days to come," The oldman replied.
"Pinnumbers for the cards?" Arpit asked, picking them up and looking at them.They seemed almost holographic.
"Theyear of your birth. We can change that tomorrow for you."
"Isuppose they've got like a twenty grand limit or something extravagant likethat?" Arpit laughed.
"Notquite, no." Mister Rawal smiled. "I believe they're somewhere inexcess of a couple of hundred thousand dollars, but they were set up in ahurry, so we'll get that straightened out too in the next few days."
Arpitsnorted with laughter.
"Anothersurreal moment?" The lawyer asked, his expression blank.
"Somethinglike that."
"SoI've got a driver, a load of credit and cash and a goon-squad on standby, justto cover me for nine hours until I catch a plane to an Island paradise?"
"Nota plane, a private jet, but yes, close enough," he nodded.
"Fuckinghellfire," Arpit said quietly, the laughter and incredulity of the momentstopped. "So do I just go back to my desk until I finish work now? Whathappens?"
"Oh,good lord, no," Mister Rawal replied, looking taken aback for the firsttime. "Mister Jhaveri actually owns this company, although it's not widelyknown. However, no, you don't need to return to your desk. In fact you don'tneed to return to it ever again if you so choose."
"Whatabout my boss?" Arpit asked. "Sometimes he's a real dick, and I don'twant him to throw a bitch fit."
"Arpit,"The old lawyer said, leaning forward across the table. "It'll take a whileto get your head round some of the changes that are going to happen to yourlife in the next few days, weeks and months. However, if your boss is, as youput it, a real dick, then you can always deal with it by coming back here in afew weeks and firing him."
"Goodpoint actually."
"Nowthen, onto the last file," The old man said, gathering the otherdocumentation away.
"What'sin this one?"
"Yoursisters."
Arpitfelt that cold sinking feeling in his stomach again and suddenly his mouth wasdry. He realised he was craving a cigarette again, and had been for some time,which was unusual as he'd quit nearly a year ago and hadn't had a craving inseven or eight months.
"Okay,let's see them," Arpit said, feeling a hint of excitement and fear at thethought of having sisters and wanting to find out who they were.
Thelawyer opened the folder and slid two photographs across the table and Arpit'sbreathing almost stopped. His face turned white.
"Iseverything okay, Arpit?" The old lawyer asked as Arpit stared at thephotographs on the table. "You've gone a little pale."
Ina voice barely above a whisper, Arpit said, "Oh, fuck, please let this bea joke."
"Is everything okay, Arpit?" The old lawyerasked as Arpit stared at the photographs on the table. "You've gone alittle pale."
In a voice barely above a whisper, Arpit said,"Oh, fuck, please let this be a joke."
Arpit was reeling, the instant recognition of thetwo faces in the photos making him feel nauseous, excited and angry at the sametime.
It was Tanmy and Bipasha, the two stars of hisown personal spank-bank, the sexual memories that came back to him every nightwhen he lay in bed, his eyes closed, stroking his cock. The two hottest womenhe'd ever encountered and God, or Fate, or Destiny had decided to fuck him upand reveal they were his sisters. He cursed the part of himself that wasexcited at the thought of meeting them again. He knew that he couldn't haveknown they were his sisters, that there was no possible way he could haveknown, but still he felt disgusted with himself, the strength of the social andlegal taboo so strong that he just felt.... wrong. Dirty, and not in a goodway.
The conflicting emotions and memories made hisalready knotted stomach feel like a stuffed toy inside a washing machine on aspin-cycle.
"Arpit, "Mister Rawal asked again. "Is everything okay?"
Arpit looked at the old man across the table andtook a deep breath. "Mister Rawal, are you my lawyer?"
"No, or more precisely, not yet.
Arpitcould almost hear them silently discussing it with looks and gestures at theother end of the phone, something they'd done for as far back as he couldremember.
"Yousure, son?"
"Yeah,Dad. You and Mom go on your trip."
"Yousure you're not pissed at us for not telling you?" His Dad asked bluntly,as was his way.
Arpitsighed. "Honestly, Dad. I'm not angry. I'm a bit shocked, and I can't sayI won't be angry in the future, but if I get angry I know where to findyou."
"Thatyou do, son," His father replied. "You just pick up that phone andwe'll come right back so you can vent your fury for as long as you need."
"CanI just ask, why didn't you tell me?"
"Therewas never a good time for it, honey," His Mom replied. "How do youbring something like that up in conversation?"
"Besides,you would have asked who your parents were, and we would have had to liedirectly to your face, son," His Dad added. "We just couldn't figureout how to tell you."
"Fairenough," Arpit said, managing to sound calm while inside he just wanted tovanish somewhere quiet so he could process it all. "Have a goodtrip."
"Loveyou, honey."
"Loveyou too," Arpit finished and ended the call. He squared his shoulders,took a deep breath and walked back in to see what else the lawyer had to say.
"Everythingokay, Mister Gujju?" Mister Rawal asked as Arpit sat back down.
"Idon't know if I'd describe it as okay," Arpit said a moment later."Right, I've spoken to my parents."
"Soyou know I'm telling the truth then?"
Arpitswallowed and nodded. "Bit of a shock."
"Ibelieve you. Shall I continue?"
"Mightas well," Arpit replied.
"Ashe mentioned in the letter, Mister Jhaveri did his best to keep a discrete eyeon you and your sisters while you were growing up, and he kept private fileswith the information for an occasion such as this. As he also said, we'd likeyou to come to Mister Jhaveri's private Island, where you can meet your sistersand get to know each other without any of the constraints and pressures of theoutside world."
"Whatdoes that mean?" Arpit asked.
"Pressuresand so forth?" The old man asked. Arpit nodded, so he continued. "Togive you one example, Mister Jhaveri was a very recognisable public figure witha long ongoing relationship with the press."
Arpitnodded, having seen him at movie premieres, award shows, chat shows and in thepapers too.
"Thepress are already making enquiries about who will inherit the vast fortune ofthe Jhaveri Empire, and sooner or later someone will remember him in a hospitaltwenty three years ago and either do some digging, or simply open their mouthon their favourite social networking site. In todays instant-media world, it'sonly a matter of hours or days before you and your sisters get tracked down andbeseiged by the media."
"You'reshitting me," Arpit blurted. "Seriously? That's what you think isgoing to happen?"
MisterRawal blinked. "That is what will happen, Arpit. We have experience withthis."
"Iwould have thought they'd....." Arpit trailed off, thinking about it, andhe knew that the old man was right in what he was saying. There would be amedia frenzy, and he'd be right in the middle of it. "Fuck mesideways."
"Isee we're on the same page, Arpit."
"Iguess so," he replied unhappily. "So what happens now?"
"Thereshould be a car outside for you. There's a private jet due to arrive in,"He glanced at his watch, a polished silver pocket watch, then dropped it backin his pocket. "Nine hours time, that's half past eight tonight. Take-offwill be around nine o'clock and the flight from Mumbai to PortblairIsland, thenearest airport to the Island, is around seven hours. From there you'll take aboat for an hour to the Island itself, so you should be there at aroundsunrise."
"Overnightjourney?" Arpit asked, frowning. "It sounds exhausting."
"Unfortunatelywe have to get all three of you to the Island as soon as possible, so it'sunavoidable on this occasion. However." The old man paused. "At theairport will be a woman named Shikha, an Executive Assistant to Mister Jhaveriwith many years experience. She'll be your liaison, your point of contact andyour assistant for the duration of your trip."
"Whydo I need an assistant?" Arpit asked.
"Becauseyou'll have a lot of questions," The old man said simply. "Now,Shikha is very good at her job and she'll be a real asset to you, so make sureyou rely upon her."
"We'llsee," Arpit replied, knowing he still wasn't sure if he was going to go tothis Island at all. The idea of buggering off with his folks seemed appealing,despite his well-known aversion to hiking.
"Inbetween now and tonight you'll have a driver to look after you. Her name isSuman, I'm assured she's very good, and she'll have a few forms for you tocomplete. I also have this for you."
Theold man slid an envelope over the table. Arpit opened it and emptied thecontents. A Visa card, a Mastercard, a clear envelope with cash in it and asmall keyfob.
"What'sall this?"
"Thecredit cards are for you to purchase some suitable clothing for your trip, thecash for if you don't want to use your credit cards or if you need to tip, andthe keyfob is a personal alarm," The old man explained. "If you pushthe red button, a security team will converge on your location and extract youfrom any situation or threat in the vicinity."
"Likebodyguards?" Arpit asked, shaking his head. "This is toosurreal."
"I'dimagine there will be many surreal moments in the days to come," The oldman replied.
"Pinnumbers for the cards?" Arpit asked, picking them up and looking at them.They seemed almost holographic.
"Theyear of your birth. We can change that tomorrow for you."
"Isuppose they've got like a twenty grand limit or something extravagant likethat?" Arpit laughed.
"Notquite, no." Mister Rawal smiled. "I believe they're somewhere inexcess of a couple of hundred thousand dollars, but they were set up in ahurry, so we'll get that straightened out too in the next few days."
Arpitsnorted with laughter.
"Anothersurreal moment?" The lawyer asked, his expression blank.
"Somethinglike that."
"SoI've got a driver, a load of credit and cash and a goon-squad on standby, justto cover me for nine hours until I catch a plane to an Island paradise?"
"Nota plane, a private jet, but yes, close enough," he nodded.
"Fuckinghellfire," Arpit said quietly, the laughter and incredulity of the momentstopped. "So do I just go back to my desk until I finish work now? Whathappens?"
"Oh,good lord, no," Mister Rawal replied, looking taken aback for the firsttime. "Mister Jhaveri actually owns this company, although it's not widelyknown. However, no, you don't need to return to your desk. In fact you don'tneed to return to it ever again if you so choose."
"Whatabout my boss?" Arpit asked. "Sometimes he's a real dick, and I don'twant him to throw a bitch fit."
"Arpit,"The old lawyer said, leaning forward across the table. "It'll take a whileto get your head round some of the changes that are going to happen to yourlife in the next few days, weeks and months. However, if your boss is, as youput it, a real dick, then you can always deal with it by coming back here in afew weeks and firing him."
"Goodpoint actually."
"Nowthen, onto the last file," The old man said, gathering the otherdocumentation away.
"What'sin this one?"
"Yoursisters."
Arpitfelt that cold sinking feeling in his stomach again and suddenly his mouth wasdry. He realised he was craving a cigarette again, and had been for some time,which was unusual as he'd quit nearly a year ago and hadn't had a craving inseven or eight months.
"Okay,let's see them," Arpit said, feeling a hint of excitement and fear at thethought of having sisters and wanting to find out who they were.
Thelawyer opened the folder and slid two photographs across the table and Arpit'sbreathing almost stopped. His face turned white.
"Iseverything okay, Arpit?" The old lawyer asked as Arpit stared at thephotographs on the table. "You've gone a little pale."
Ina voice barely above a whisper, Arpit said, "Oh, fuck, please let this bea joke."
"Is everything okay, Arpit?" The old lawyerasked as Arpit stared at the photographs on the table. "You've gone alittle pale."
In a voice barely above a whisper, Arpit said,"Oh, fuck, please let this be a joke."
Arpit was reeling, the instant recognition of thetwo faces in the photos making him feel nauseous, excited and angry at the sametime.
It was Tanmy and Bipasha, the two stars of hisown personal spank-bank, the sexual memories that came back to him every nightwhen he lay in bed, his eyes closed, stroking his cock. The two hottest womenhe'd ever encountered and God, or Fate, or Destiny had decided to fuck him upand reveal they were his sisters. He cursed the part of himself that wasexcited at the thought of meeting them again. He knew that he couldn't haveknown they were his sisters, that there was no possible way he could haveknown, but still he felt disgusted with himself, the strength of the social andlegal taboo so strong that he just felt.... wrong. Dirty, and not in a goodway.
The conflicting emotions and memories made hisalready knotted stomach feel like a stuffed toy inside a washing machine on aspin-cycle.
"Arpit, "Mister Rawal asked again. "Is everything okay?"
Arpit looked at the old man across the table andtook a deep breath. "Mister Rawal, are you my lawyer?"
"No, or more precisely, not yet.
Right now I'mrepresenting the interests of Mister Jhaveri. Do you need a lawyer?" Theold man tilted his head, looking at Arpit across the table. "You needsomeone you can talk to confidentially with your best interests at heart andno-one elses?"
"Somethinglike that," Arpit replied. Then another realisation struck him - that whenhe hooked up with Tanmy as he thought of her, there were other people around.Vishal and Rohit, his buddies were there, but also her three friends. Fiveother people who knew the two of them had hooked up.
Vishal and Rohitknew that he'd got a lapdance from Bipasha who was actually Trisha too. And ifthe press were going to find out about them, then all it would take would besomeone to open their mouth and all kinds of shit would come out.
"I'm notgoing to ask any questions just yet, however I would advise you to speak toShikha about the problem tonight, whatever it is," Mister Rawal saidfirmly. "She is appointed to you to look after you, not to look after thebusiness or to steer you in any particular direction, so if there's a problem,or if there may be one in the future, discuss it with her. She'll help youout."
"Is she alawyer?" Arpit asked.
"No, but shecan talk to one without incriminating you, or arrange a discussion with one foryou. Either way, discuss it with her. Then once the last will and testament hasbeen read, I can give you legal counsel if it's required. Is thatsufficient?"
Arpit shruggedhelplessly, having no idea what to do about this. "I guess it'll have tobe for now."
"Do you haveany other questions?"
Arpit thought fora moment, then nodded. "My... sisters. Are they being told just nowtoo?"
"That's mytask for today, I'm afraid," The lawyer replied. "As soon as we'redone here I'm off to let them both know too. All going well you'll all meet forthe first time on the Island tomorrow."
"We're alltaking the same plane? Sorry, jet?"
The old man shookhis head and began clearing up the documents and photographs from the table."No, Arpit. You'll all be making your way there and they'll arrivetogether."
"Oh, okay.So what do I do now?" The words came out on auto-pilot. Inside, Arpitstill felt like he was reeling.
"Get in thecar outside, go shopping for some clothes for a week on a WoodMasan island, andwhatever else you want to take with you. There are limitations though."
"Such asdon't buy a Mercedes?" Arpit shook his head, experiencing one of thosesurreal moments.
"I daresayyou could if you wished, but I think Mister Jhaveri has a couple anyway,"The old man replied, smiling slightly. "Limitations. You can't discussthis with your friends, and if they ask, tell them you've had to go away on abusiness trip, advising the three Company Directors that turned up out the bluetoday. Currently they're smoothing things over within the organisation so thatpeople will think you've been selected for a fast-track career path and are offaround the country for a week or so."
"That's whythey're here?"
The lawyernodded. "They don't know the details, but yes, they're here only to give youa legitimate excuse to vanish for a week."
"Shit.. Whatabout my friends? I can't tell Vishal and Rohit?" Arpit asked.
"That'scorrect."
"I kinda already told my parents that I'd be going to meet thesesisters of mine," Arpit said, frowning.
"That's okay, Arpit. They're your parents, although I'd stronglysuggest you call them and ask them to keep quiet about it over the next coupleof days."
"Okay, I will do. What else?"
"That's us," The lawyer said, placing the files in hisbriefcase. "Oh, here's a suggested list of items you should bring, alongwith a list of places you can find them. It's from a creative professional onthe Island. To be frank, she's a bit of a nuisance, but she does know how tomake you look good." The old man slid three sheets of paper across thetable to Arpit.
"Come, Arpit Gujju. I'll walk you to your car, introduce you toyour driver and then I'll see you late tomorrow." Mister Rawal stood upand beckoned Arpit to the door.
Arpit led the lawyer out to the Reception, absently patting his pocketsto make sure he had his housekeys. He could feel the wad of cash in his walletalong with the new credit cards. They exited the building and Arpit's eyeswidened as he saw the two Mercedes parked at the kerb.
"Wow, this is really real," He murmured.
"What was that?" Mister Rawal asked.
"Sorry, nothing. Just muttering," Arpit replied.
"Well, Arpit Gujju, it was a pleasure meeting you, and once again,my apologies for turning your world completely upside down. Let's hope wheneverything settles down it looks better than it did before." The old manoffered a hand and Arpit shook it.
"Best of luck today, Mister Rawal. Can I make a request ofyou?" Arpit said quickly as the old man turned to leave.
"Yes?"
"When you meet my sisters could you give them a message forme?"
"It depends on the content of the message, Arpit."
"Can you tell them I wish Iknew I had sisters, and I'm looking forward to meeting them both for the firsttime tomorrow?"
The old lawyer'seyebrow raised. "Indeed? I'm sure I can pass that on. Good luck, Arpit,and I'll see you tomorrow. And don't forget your passport."
Arpit nodded, breathing a sigh of relief as the oldman turned his back. The message had been a spur of the moment thing, and thewording impromptu, but he wanted to get a message to them if they rememberedhim. Telling them he wished he knew he had sisters would remind them that noneof them knew they were related when they'd met before, and adding that he waslooking forward to meeting them for the first time tomorrow was something hewas rather pleased with. A hidden message saying don't admit that we've alreadymet. In the event that one or both of them didn't remember him then the wholemessage would seem quite sweet.
Arpit smiled, hisstomach still doing flip-flops, but nowhere near as bad as it was a few minutesago.
"MisterGujju?"
Arpit turned,hearing a woman's voice from beside the car. "Hi?"
"I'm Suman,your driver for today, sir." Suman turned out to be a short-haireddirty-blonde woman in her mid to late twenties, dressed in the classic blacksuit, white shirt, black tie and the peaked hat, common among limo drivers.
"Hi Suman.Call me Arpit."
She nodded."Very good, sir. Arpit. Whatever. Where are we going?"
Arpit smiled."That's an easy one. Somewhere I can buy cigarettes. Then, apparentlythere's a list of things I've to get."
She nodded,opened the door, Arpit slid in on the leather seat and moments later they wereoff.
That firstcigarette was a guilty pleasure, but it just made Arpit feel a little sickerthan he did already, so he binned it halfway through. The three hours thatfollowed passed in a blur.
Suman drove himfrom store to store, picking up business suits and clothes of a far superiorquality than anything he'd worn to date. Designer clothing stores, designerluggage, everything that was on the list was specific and labelled, puttogether by someone called Shraddha.
Arpit wasreluctant at first to accept that someone could pick out what he should wearand know better than he did what would suit him, but she seemed to haveunerringly good taste. In the first three stores he tried on a few items, andafter that he just checked the sizes were right and handed them to the salesassistants that followed him around. Turning up at the front door in a limo andwearing designer clothing certainly got their attention and service wasexcellent all afternoon.
Eventually theadrenalin of the whole thing began to wear off and Arpit felt exhausted, andrealising he hadn't eaten at all that day, they stopped for lunch. Arpitinsisted that Suman join him, rather than eat alone and they got talking aboutlife as a limo driver in the city.
"You seesome sights, believe me."
"Likewhat?" Arpit asked, enjoying the novelty of being able to order whateverthe hell he wanted and have a pretty hot woman for company.
"Alright,couple of nights ago I'm driving these three German businessmen around, and Ipick them up from the restaurant and they're all blitzed, right?"
Arpit nodded andtook a bite of his burger.
"Well, oneof them comes up to the window and taps on it, so I lower it down while I'mdriving and he asks me to take them to get some hookers."
Arpit coughed."No fucking way. Just like that?"
Suman nodded,brushing her hair back from her face. "Yeah, plain as that. So I've gotthree options, right? One, I can ditch them and get no tip, and probably getfired. Two, I can go and find some meth-head skanks that are probably riddledwith Christ knows what diseases, or I can go with option three."
"Whichis?"
"Call myroom-mate and get her to round up some friends."
Arpit blinked."Your room-mate's a hooker?"
"Escort, anda very well paid one at that," Suman replied with a raised eyebrow."She only works one night a week and she earns more money than I do."
Arpit nodded."Whatever works for you, I guess."
"Exactly. SoI call her, tell her about these guys and she makes some calls, right?"Suman paused for a sip at her Pepsi.
"So you goand pick up all these girls?" Arpit asked, amused at how matter of factshe was about it all.
"Yeah,"She nodded. "Three guys, five girls, a big fucking orgy in the back of thestretch limo for three hours. Got to give those guys some kudos for keeping itup for that long."
Arpit laughed andraised his bottle of beer. "To German businessmen."
"And thegirls they rode in on," Suman laughed, chinking her glass against hisbeer.
Arpit made aface. "What about cleaning the limo afterwards?"
Suman shrugged."Someone elses job. And no, that's not the same limo. Yours is brandspanking new. Don't know how you managed that, but it suits me fine."
"Whateverworks for you," Arpit smiled. "So is it like that quite a lot?"
"What? Inthe back of the limo?"
"Yeah.
"Somethinglike that," Arpit replied. Then another realisation struck him - that whenhe hooked up with Tanmy as he thought of her, there were other people around.Vishal and Rohit, his buddies were there, but also her three friends. Fiveother people who knew the two of them had hooked up.
Vishal and Rohitknew that he'd got a lapdance from Bipasha who was actually Trisha too. And ifthe press were going to find out about them, then all it would take would besomeone to open their mouth and all kinds of shit would come out.
"I'm notgoing to ask any questions just yet, however I would advise you to speak toShikha about the problem tonight, whatever it is," Mister Rawal saidfirmly. "She is appointed to you to look after you, not to look after thebusiness or to steer you in any particular direction, so if there's a problem,or if there may be one in the future, discuss it with her. She'll help youout."
"Is she alawyer?" Arpit asked.
"No, but shecan talk to one without incriminating you, or arrange a discussion with one foryou. Either way, discuss it with her. Then once the last will and testament hasbeen read, I can give you legal counsel if it's required. Is thatsufficient?"
Arpit shruggedhelplessly, having no idea what to do about this. "I guess it'll have tobe for now."
"Do you haveany other questions?"
Arpit thought fora moment, then nodded. "My... sisters. Are they being told just nowtoo?"
"That's mytask for today, I'm afraid," The lawyer replied. "As soon as we'redone here I'm off to let them both know too. All going well you'll all meet forthe first time on the Island tomorrow."
"We're alltaking the same plane? Sorry, jet?"
The old man shookhis head and began clearing up the documents and photographs from the table."No, Arpit. You'll all be making your way there and they'll arrivetogether."
"Oh, okay.So what do I do now?" The words came out on auto-pilot. Inside, Arpitstill felt like he was reeling.
"Get in thecar outside, go shopping for some clothes for a week on a WoodMasan island, andwhatever else you want to take with you. There are limitations though."
"Such asdon't buy a Mercedes?" Arpit shook his head, experiencing one of thosesurreal moments.
"I daresayyou could if you wished, but I think Mister Jhaveri has a couple anyway,"The old man replied, smiling slightly. "Limitations. You can't discussthis with your friends, and if they ask, tell them you've had to go away on abusiness trip, advising the three Company Directors that turned up out the bluetoday. Currently they're smoothing things over within the organisation so thatpeople will think you've been selected for a fast-track career path and are offaround the country for a week or so."
"That's whythey're here?"
The lawyernodded. "They don't know the details, but yes, they're here only to give youa legitimate excuse to vanish for a week."
"Shit.. Whatabout my friends? I can't tell Vishal and Rohit?" Arpit asked.
"That'scorrect."
"I kinda already told my parents that I'd be going to meet thesesisters of mine," Arpit said, frowning.
"That's okay, Arpit. They're your parents, although I'd stronglysuggest you call them and ask them to keep quiet about it over the next coupleof days."
"Okay, I will do. What else?"
"That's us," The lawyer said, placing the files in hisbriefcase. "Oh, here's a suggested list of items you should bring, alongwith a list of places you can find them. It's from a creative professional onthe Island. To be frank, she's a bit of a nuisance, but she does know how tomake you look good." The old man slid three sheets of paper across thetable to Arpit.
"Come, Arpit Gujju. I'll walk you to your car, introduce you toyour driver and then I'll see you late tomorrow." Mister Rawal stood upand beckoned Arpit to the door.
Arpit led the lawyer out to the Reception, absently patting his pocketsto make sure he had his housekeys. He could feel the wad of cash in his walletalong with the new credit cards. They exited the building and Arpit's eyeswidened as he saw the two Mercedes parked at the kerb.
"Wow, this is really real," He murmured.
"What was that?" Mister Rawal asked.
"Sorry, nothing. Just muttering," Arpit replied.
"Well, Arpit Gujju, it was a pleasure meeting you, and once again,my apologies for turning your world completely upside down. Let's hope wheneverything settles down it looks better than it did before." The old manoffered a hand and Arpit shook it.
"Best of luck today, Mister Rawal. Can I make a request ofyou?" Arpit said quickly as the old man turned to leave.
"Yes?"
"When you meet my sisters could you give them a message forme?"
"It depends on the content of the message, Arpit."
"Can you tell them I wish Iknew I had sisters, and I'm looking forward to meeting them both for the firsttime tomorrow?"
The old lawyer'seyebrow raised. "Indeed? I'm sure I can pass that on. Good luck, Arpit,and I'll see you tomorrow. And don't forget your passport."
Arpit nodded, breathing a sigh of relief as the oldman turned his back. The message had been a spur of the moment thing, and thewording impromptu, but he wanted to get a message to them if they rememberedhim. Telling them he wished he knew he had sisters would remind them that noneof them knew they were related when they'd met before, and adding that he waslooking forward to meeting them for the first time tomorrow was something hewas rather pleased with. A hidden message saying don't admit that we've alreadymet. In the event that one or both of them didn't remember him then the wholemessage would seem quite sweet.
Arpit smiled, hisstomach still doing flip-flops, but nowhere near as bad as it was a few minutesago.
"MisterGujju?"
Arpit turned,hearing a woman's voice from beside the car. "Hi?"
"I'm Suman,your driver for today, sir." Suman turned out to be a short-haireddirty-blonde woman in her mid to late twenties, dressed in the classic blacksuit, white shirt, black tie and the peaked hat, common among limo drivers.
"Hi Suman.Call me Arpit."
She nodded."Very good, sir. Arpit. Whatever. Where are we going?"
Arpit smiled."That's an easy one. Somewhere I can buy cigarettes. Then, apparentlythere's a list of things I've to get."
She nodded,opened the door, Arpit slid in on the leather seat and moments later they wereoff.
That firstcigarette was a guilty pleasure, but it just made Arpit feel a little sickerthan he did already, so he binned it halfway through. The three hours thatfollowed passed in a blur.
Suman drove himfrom store to store, picking up business suits and clothes of a far superiorquality than anything he'd worn to date. Designer clothing stores, designerluggage, everything that was on the list was specific and labelled, puttogether by someone called Shraddha.
Arpit wasreluctant at first to accept that someone could pick out what he should wearand know better than he did what would suit him, but she seemed to haveunerringly good taste. In the first three stores he tried on a few items, andafter that he just checked the sizes were right and handed them to the salesassistants that followed him around. Turning up at the front door in a limo andwearing designer clothing certainly got their attention and service wasexcellent all afternoon.
Eventually theadrenalin of the whole thing began to wear off and Arpit felt exhausted, andrealising he hadn't eaten at all that day, they stopped for lunch. Arpitinsisted that Suman join him, rather than eat alone and they got talking aboutlife as a limo driver in the city.
"You seesome sights, believe me."
"Likewhat?" Arpit asked, enjoying the novelty of being able to order whateverthe hell he wanted and have a pretty hot woman for company.
"Alright,couple of nights ago I'm driving these three German businessmen around, and Ipick them up from the restaurant and they're all blitzed, right?"
Arpit nodded andtook a bite of his burger.
"Well, oneof them comes up to the window and taps on it, so I lower it down while I'mdriving and he asks me to take them to get some hookers."
Arpit coughed."No fucking way. Just like that?"
Suman nodded,brushing her hair back from her face. "Yeah, plain as that. So I've gotthree options, right? One, I can ditch them and get no tip, and probably getfired. Two, I can go and find some meth-head skanks that are probably riddledwith Christ knows what diseases, or I can go with option three."
"Whichis?"
"Call myroom-mate and get her to round up some friends."
Arpit blinked."Your room-mate's a hooker?"
"Escort, anda very well paid one at that," Suman replied with a raised eyebrow."She only works one night a week and she earns more money than I do."
Arpit nodded."Whatever works for you, I guess."
"Exactly. SoI call her, tell her about these guys and she makes some calls, right?"Suman paused for a sip at her Pepsi.
"So you goand pick up all these girls?" Arpit asked, amused at how matter of factshe was about it all.
"Yeah,"She nodded. "Three guys, five girls, a big fucking orgy in the back of thestretch limo for three hours. Got to give those guys some kudos for keeping itup for that long."
Arpit laughed andraised his bottle of beer. "To German businessmen."
"And thegirls they rode in on," Suman laughed, chinking her glass against hisbeer.
Arpit made aface. "What about cleaning the limo afterwards?"
Suman shrugged."Someone elses job. And no, that's not the same limo. Yours is brandspanking new. Don't know how you managed that, but it suits me fine."
"Whateverworks for you," Arpit smiled. "So is it like that quite a lot?"
"What? Inthe back of the limo?"
"Yeah.
"
"Sometimes.You kind of get spells where it goes a bit nuts and then nothing happens forages. I've had all sorts back there though. Couples who hire it for a nightjust to drive around the city fucking behind tinted windows. Try to spice upthe old marriage. I've had guys who jacked off on their own, women who'vehelped them, sometimes even men who've helped them."
"Fuckinghell," Arpit muttered. "It's like a whole new world I didn't knowabout."
Suman laughed."You should try it out. See how the other half live."
Arpit grinned."What? Jerk off in the back of the limo on the way home? Nah, not reallymy style."
"Ha! Youshould hire a couple of classy escorts, have a threesome. It'd blow yourmind."
"You'reinsane," Arpit laughed. "Have you ever?"
"What? Me?I've never hired an escort," She chuckled. "Those girls cost afortune."
Arpit laughed,let the subject drop and finished off his burger. "Want somedessert?"
"Coffee?"
"That'll dofor me," Arpit agreed. "I would tell people I'm a latte-junkie, butit's the lamest sounding thing ever."
"Yeah, Iwouldn't try and use that as a line on a girl. Talking of which, have youspotted the two girls to my right checking you out?"
Arpit chuckled."Good one."
"No,seriously." Suman nodded, her face earnest.
Arpit took a swigof his beer and casually glanced over to the booth where two girls werewatching him. They jerked their eyes away quickly and began to giggle.
"Want me toget them in the back of the limo for you?"
Arpit burst outlaughing. "You sound like my pimp."
"You've gota pimp?" She teased. "Seriously though, it's pretty easy. You're adecent enough looking guy, and the clothes make you look good. Plus you'resitting with a limo driver, talking shit, while it's parked right outside thedoor. You look good to them right now, so I bet if you picked up their checkand got a bottle of champagne to go, I could walk over there and invite them tojoin you in the limo."
"That shitactually works?" Arpit snorted. "Sounds like something from a bad TVshow."
"Oh, itworks. I've got tons of clients laid doing stuff like that." She grinned."All part of the service, my lord."
"Why you sokeen to get me to hooked up?" Arpit asked, looking at her. "If it'snot these girls, it's hire some hookers and have a threesome. What's that allabout?" He took a swig of beer.
Suman shrugged."I like watching people fucking. I'm a perv, I don't care."
Arpit nearlychoked and definitely lost a number of dude points during the coughing fit thatfollowed while Suman sat there and laughed at his reaction.
"You shouldtotally look up a friend of mine," Arpit said a few minutes later whenhe'd recovered. "His name's Vishal, he's nuts and lots of fun, and you twowould hit it off."
"I dunno.I'm kinda fussy." Suman shrugged again, and Arpit smiled. It seemed to beher favourite movement.
"Fussyhow?"
"Well,actually I'm not that fussy," She grinned and got her phone out."What's his number?"
Arpit chuckledand got it out his phone for her. Once Suman punched it into the address bookshe grinned, a smile with a deliberate hint of evil to it. "I'm totallygonna mess with him for a week or so."
"You reallyshould. He's a comic book artist. That's what he does for a living. Better warnyou though, he's a bit of an asshole, and he's got a ridiculous vocabulary forparts of the female anatomy, if you know what I mean."
"Oh, I'msure I can give him a run for his money. My room-mate is a professional sexworker, remember."
They left therestaurant ten minutes later, with Arpit managing to avoid Suman's repeatedsuggestions that she drag the two girls with them. Ordinarily the idea wouldhave held a ridiculous amount of appeal to Arpit, but after todays revelations,not least of which was that he had inadvertantly made love to one sister, had alapdance from another, then jerked off to the memories several hundred times,he wasn't in the mood for anything sexual.
To kill some ofthe remaining hours, Arpit went home and Suman helped him pack the luggage he'dbought with the new clothes. A ridiculous amount of tags, bags and packagingaccumulated beside Arpit's sofa, but with an hour to spare they had everythingpacked that he'd need and into the limo. It wouldn't all fit in the trunk, butArpit wasn't bothered about a few bags in the back with him. He knew he wasn'tthat guy, yet.
It came as a bitof a surprise at one point when Suman took off her jacket to reveal a pistol ina shoulder-holster. Seeing Arpit's astonished look, she explained that shesplit her time between limo driving and close protection security, and thattoday she was doing both. Arpit thought it both surreal and funny that hisfirst bodyguard was a woman who kept trying to get him laid and could kill himif he made the wrong move.
He had anothercigarette, called his folks to ask them to keep quiet about the days events andlet them know he was heading out to Siddharth Jhaveri private Island for a fewdays to meet his sisters. His folks seemed relieved that he seemed to be takingit in his stride, but Arpit explained that he thought it either hadn't sunk inyet, or it didn't matter to him that he was adopted because they were the onlyparents he'd ever known, and given both his birth parents were dead, it wasn'tlike they were going to steal him away.
His folkspromised to call him in a couple of days, but reminded him he just had to calland they'd come to wherever he was. He rang off, nodded to Suman and they leftfor the airport.
Arpit wavedfarewell to Suman once the flight crew had loaded the bags onto the smallprivate Jet, and he turned towards the small lounge in the Executive PrivilegeAirlines building. He looked up at the sign. "EPA? Someone's got a senseof humour."
He opened thedoor into a brightly llit reception area.
"MisterGujju?" An old black man with wrinkles on his wrinkles asked from behindthe receptionist desk.
"Yes."
"Can I seeyour passport please?"
"Oh, yeah.Sure." Arpit handed it over to the man who gave it a cursory glance andhanded it back.
"If you'dlike to go into the lounge, sir, your aircraft will be ready in tenminutes."
Arpit nodded andentered the lounge, seeing a woman rising to her feet. Shoulder-length blondehair framed a pretty face with a pointy chin and eyes that missed nothing. Acharcoal gray business suit covered a body that Arpit could see was in greatshape. For someone who had the potential to look like Sonakshi Sinha in a redswimsuit, she didn't come across that way at all. The minimal makeup, the linesof her suit, all created a professional ensemble that looked businesslike aboveall else.
"MisterGujju?" She asked, taking a step towards him. Her voice was sure,confident and clear.
"Arpit,"He replied, offering a little wave. He rolled his eyes at his own lameness.
"I'm ShikhaDesai. I understand Mister Rawal told you I'd be meeting you here?"
Arpit nodded, andmoved forward, shaking hands with her. "Yeah, he said that you're going tobe helping me out. Is that right?"
"Yes,sir," she nodded, motioning him to a seat, taking the adjacent one forherself. "I was Executive Assistant to Mister Jhaveri for nine years, andmy role with you is to primarily look after you, act as your liaison andschedule manager, set up whatever you need and answer any questions you mighthave."
"So we'regoing to be working together quite a lot then?" Arpit asked cautiously.
"Yes,sir."
"Well, ifwe're going to be working together all the time, then you should call meArpit."
"Yes,sir."
Arpit noticed thehint of a smile twitching at her mouth. "Funny."
"Arpit it isthen. I may 'Sir' you in public from time to time though." Her eyes reallylit up when she smiled, he noted.
"Cool.Whatever works for you," Arpit said. "So how did you get landed withme then? Lose the lottery?"
Shikha took adeep breath then let it out slowly. "Can I be honest, Arpit?"
"Please."Arpit meant it too. If he was going to have to rely on Shikha, as Mister Rawalsuggested, then he much preferred the thought of her giving it to him straight.
"Out of thethree of you, you and your sisters, I asked to be assigned to you. You haveexperience in business, and not just at a ground level. That makes my job alittle easier because you'll be quicker on the uptake. Likewise, I sometimesfind other women can be difficult to... establish good working relationshipswith from time to time."
"You meanbecause sometimes women are bitches?" Arpit said, opting for excessivehonesty himself. He was no stranger to office politics either.
Shikha chuckled."Yes, pretty much. I've encountered resentment because of how I look onplenty of occasions, and it's usually overcome by sheer professional competencewithin a month or two, but I think that the next few days and weeks are goingto define a lot about how Mister Jhaveri businesses end up being run in thefuture, and I want to contribute to that."
"So byworking with me, you think we'll get on better and quicker than you would ifyou were working with a woman?" Arpit asked, admiring her honesty, but alittle confused.
"That's partof it," She nodded. "Mister Jhaveri and I worked together for nearlynine years, and I invested a lot of time and effort into his businesses. Ithink you're the most business-oriented of the three of you, based on nothingmore than your files, but if you are, then that's the area I'd prefer to beworking in."
"And that'sall of it?" Arpit asked.
"Prettymuch."
Arpit nodded."Mister Rawal told me I could trust you. He said you were great at yourjob and you'd be a real asset to me if I could learn to rely on you. Any ideawhat he meant by that?"
"It could besomething as simple as trying to encourage you to open up and trust me. Thatway I can learn how to support you more effectively, do my job more efficientlyand help you out as much as possible." She frowned. "Did he reallysay that?"
Arpit nodded,looking around as his craving kicked back in.
"Sometimes.You kind of get spells where it goes a bit nuts and then nothing happens forages. I've had all sorts back there though. Couples who hire it for a nightjust to drive around the city fucking behind tinted windows. Try to spice upthe old marriage. I've had guys who jacked off on their own, women who'vehelped them, sometimes even men who've helped them."
"Fuckinghell," Arpit muttered. "It's like a whole new world I didn't knowabout."
Suman laughed."You should try it out. See how the other half live."
Arpit grinned."What? Jerk off in the back of the limo on the way home? Nah, not reallymy style."
"Ha! Youshould hire a couple of classy escorts, have a threesome. It'd blow yourmind."
"You'reinsane," Arpit laughed. "Have you ever?"
"What? Me?I've never hired an escort," She chuckled. "Those girls cost afortune."
Arpit laughed,let the subject drop and finished off his burger. "Want somedessert?"
"Coffee?"
"That'll dofor me," Arpit agreed. "I would tell people I'm a latte-junkie, butit's the lamest sounding thing ever."
"Yeah, Iwouldn't try and use that as a line on a girl. Talking of which, have youspotted the two girls to my right checking you out?"
Arpit chuckled."Good one."
"No,seriously." Suman nodded, her face earnest.
Arpit took a swigof his beer and casually glanced over to the booth where two girls werewatching him. They jerked their eyes away quickly and began to giggle.
"Want me toget them in the back of the limo for you?"
Arpit burst outlaughing. "You sound like my pimp."
"You've gota pimp?" She teased. "Seriously though, it's pretty easy. You're adecent enough looking guy, and the clothes make you look good. Plus you'resitting with a limo driver, talking shit, while it's parked right outside thedoor. You look good to them right now, so I bet if you picked up their checkand got a bottle of champagne to go, I could walk over there and invite them tojoin you in the limo."
"That shitactually works?" Arpit snorted. "Sounds like something from a bad TVshow."
"Oh, itworks. I've got tons of clients laid doing stuff like that." She grinned."All part of the service, my lord."
"Why you sokeen to get me to hooked up?" Arpit asked, looking at her. "If it'snot these girls, it's hire some hookers and have a threesome. What's that allabout?" He took a swig of beer.
Suman shrugged."I like watching people fucking. I'm a perv, I don't care."
Arpit nearlychoked and definitely lost a number of dude points during the coughing fit thatfollowed while Suman sat there and laughed at his reaction.
"You shouldtotally look up a friend of mine," Arpit said a few minutes later whenhe'd recovered. "His name's Vishal, he's nuts and lots of fun, and you twowould hit it off."
"I dunno.I'm kinda fussy." Suman shrugged again, and Arpit smiled. It seemed to beher favourite movement.
"Fussyhow?"
"Well,actually I'm not that fussy," She grinned and got her phone out."What's his number?"
Arpit chuckledand got it out his phone for her. Once Suman punched it into the address bookshe grinned, a smile with a deliberate hint of evil to it. "I'm totallygonna mess with him for a week or so."
"You reallyshould. He's a comic book artist. That's what he does for a living. Better warnyou though, he's a bit of an asshole, and he's got a ridiculous vocabulary forparts of the female anatomy, if you know what I mean."
"Oh, I'msure I can give him a run for his money. My room-mate is a professional sexworker, remember."
They left therestaurant ten minutes later, with Arpit managing to avoid Suman's repeatedsuggestions that she drag the two girls with them. Ordinarily the idea wouldhave held a ridiculous amount of appeal to Arpit, but after todays revelations,not least of which was that he had inadvertantly made love to one sister, had alapdance from another, then jerked off to the memories several hundred times,he wasn't in the mood for anything sexual.
To kill some ofthe remaining hours, Arpit went home and Suman helped him pack the luggage he'dbought with the new clothes. A ridiculous amount of tags, bags and packagingaccumulated beside Arpit's sofa, but with an hour to spare they had everythingpacked that he'd need and into the limo. It wouldn't all fit in the trunk, butArpit wasn't bothered about a few bags in the back with him. He knew he wasn'tthat guy, yet.
It came as a bitof a surprise at one point when Suman took off her jacket to reveal a pistol ina shoulder-holster. Seeing Arpit's astonished look, she explained that shesplit her time between limo driving and close protection security, and thattoday she was doing both. Arpit thought it both surreal and funny that hisfirst bodyguard was a woman who kept trying to get him laid and could kill himif he made the wrong move.
He had anothercigarette, called his folks to ask them to keep quiet about the days events andlet them know he was heading out to Siddharth Jhaveri private Island for a fewdays to meet his sisters. His folks seemed relieved that he seemed to be takingit in his stride, but Arpit explained that he thought it either hadn't sunk inyet, or it didn't matter to him that he was adopted because they were the onlyparents he'd ever known, and given both his birth parents were dead, it wasn'tlike they were going to steal him away.
His folkspromised to call him in a couple of days, but reminded him he just had to calland they'd come to wherever he was. He rang off, nodded to Suman and they leftfor the airport.
Arpit wavedfarewell to Suman once the flight crew had loaded the bags onto the smallprivate Jet, and he turned towards the small lounge in the Executive PrivilegeAirlines building. He looked up at the sign. "EPA? Someone's got a senseof humour."
He opened thedoor into a brightly llit reception area.
"MisterGujju?" An old black man with wrinkles on his wrinkles asked from behindthe receptionist desk.
"Yes."
"Can I seeyour passport please?"
"Oh, yeah.Sure." Arpit handed it over to the man who gave it a cursory glance andhanded it back.
"If you'dlike to go into the lounge, sir, your aircraft will be ready in tenminutes."
Arpit nodded andentered the lounge, seeing a woman rising to her feet. Shoulder-length blondehair framed a pretty face with a pointy chin and eyes that missed nothing. Acharcoal gray business suit covered a body that Arpit could see was in greatshape. For someone who had the potential to look like Sonakshi Sinha in a redswimsuit, she didn't come across that way at all. The minimal makeup, the linesof her suit, all created a professional ensemble that looked businesslike aboveall else.
"MisterGujju?" She asked, taking a step towards him. Her voice was sure,confident and clear.
"Arpit,"He replied, offering a little wave. He rolled his eyes at his own lameness.
"I'm ShikhaDesai. I understand Mister Rawal told you I'd be meeting you here?"
Arpit nodded, andmoved forward, shaking hands with her. "Yeah, he said that you're going tobe helping me out. Is that right?"
"Yes,sir," she nodded, motioning him to a seat, taking the adjacent one forherself. "I was Executive Assistant to Mister Jhaveri for nine years, andmy role with you is to primarily look after you, act as your liaison andschedule manager, set up whatever you need and answer any questions you mighthave."
"So we'regoing to be working together quite a lot then?" Arpit asked cautiously.
"Yes,sir."
"Well, ifwe're going to be working together all the time, then you should call meArpit."
"Yes,sir."
Arpit noticed thehint of a smile twitching at her mouth. "Funny."
"Arpit it isthen. I may 'Sir' you in public from time to time though." Her eyes reallylit up when she smiled, he noted.
"Cool.Whatever works for you," Arpit said. "So how did you get landed withme then? Lose the lottery?"
Shikha took adeep breath then let it out slowly. "Can I be honest, Arpit?"
"Please."Arpit meant it too. If he was going to have to rely on Shikha, as Mister Rawalsuggested, then he much preferred the thought of her giving it to him straight.
"Out of thethree of you, you and your sisters, I asked to be assigned to you. You haveexperience in business, and not just at a ground level. That makes my job alittle easier because you'll be quicker on the uptake. Likewise, I sometimesfind other women can be difficult to... establish good working relationshipswith from time to time."
"You meanbecause sometimes women are bitches?" Arpit said, opting for excessivehonesty himself. He was no stranger to office politics either.
Shikha chuckled."Yes, pretty much. I've encountered resentment because of how I look onplenty of occasions, and it's usually overcome by sheer professional competencewithin a month or two, but I think that the next few days and weeks are goingto define a lot about how Mister Jhaveri businesses end up being run in thefuture, and I want to contribute to that."
"So byworking with me, you think we'll get on better and quicker than you would ifyou were working with a woman?" Arpit asked, admiring her honesty, but alittle confused.
"That's partof it," She nodded. "Mister Jhaveri and I worked together for nearlynine years, and I invested a lot of time and effort into his businesses. Ithink you're the most business-oriented of the three of you, based on nothingmore than your files, but if you are, then that's the area I'd prefer to beworking in."
"And that'sall of it?" Arpit asked.
"Prettymuch."
Arpit nodded."Mister Rawal told me I could trust you. He said you were great at yourjob and you'd be a real asset to me if I could learn to rely on you. Any ideawhat he meant by that?"
"It could besomething as simple as trying to encourage you to open up and trust me. Thatway I can learn how to support you more effectively, do my job more efficientlyand help you out as much as possible." She frowned. "Did he reallysay that?"
Arpit nodded,looking around as his craving kicked back in.
"Yeah. Do Ijust go outside if I want a cigarette?"
"I didn'tknow you smoked," Shikha said, tilting her head, her expression curious.
"Recentlytook up the habit again. It's been quite a day."
"I bet ithas. How are you feeling?"
"Tense,nauseous, bemused, and kinda like I'm watching someone else in a movie, exceptthe movie's my life going in strange and wacky directions," Arpit replied.He moved to stand, but Shikha placed a hand on his leg and got up herself.
"I'll getyou an ashtray. Just smoke here if you want one."
"Fuckingweird" Arpit muttered, lighting up indoors. She returned shortly with anashtray.
"Wantsomething to drink? Beer? Cocktail? Coffee? Soda?"
Arpit shook hishead. "No, thanks, but don't let me stop you."
Shikha shook herhead and sat back down. "So how did the shopping go?"
"Kindabizarre," Arpit said, grinning. "Pulling up in a limo and wearingdesigner clothes when you walk in a store is a different level of service thanI'm used to."
"It'll getmore bizarre than that in the next few days," She warned. "Wait untilyou start getting fitted for tailored suits by Shraddha."
"She's theperson who wrote this list for me, right?"
Shikha nodded, aslight frown on her face. "That's Shraddha. She's got a really great eyefor dressing people."
"But..."Arpit added, guessing there was more.
Shikha smiled."But she's arrogant and a nuisance, and believes that fashion is the ultimatereason for the human race being on the planet."
Arpit laughed."Sounds like a joy to work with."
"Fortunatelyit doesn't happen very often, or my schedule would be shot to hell by brunch ona daily basis."
"So, I'mmeant to lean on you for advice and all that. What mistakes should I try andavoid?" Arpit asked, figuring he might as well find out.
"Timemanagement is going to be a factor for you. There's only so many hours in aday, and everyone will want a piece of them, so don't accept any appointments.Refer them all to me."
"Okay, thatmakes sense, I guess. I've never had an assistant before so I'm kinda gropingin the dark here," He admitted.
"You'll getused to it," She said, smiling disarmingly. "What else can I suggest?Ask me anything. Don't be afraid to ask it if you think it will upset me, or ifyou think it's stupid. Don't worry about asking twice either. You're going tobe taking so much information in over the course of a day that you'll forgetsome things, so rely on me. It's what I'm there for."
"Great. Myvery own wiki?"
Reply With Quote Multi-Quote This Message Quick reply to this message
#44 Add to ArpitGujju's Reputation Report Post
Unread 3rd July 2016
ArpitGujju ArpitGujju is offline
BollyGallery.com
Join Date: 27th November 2009
Posts: 195
Rep Power: 17 Points: 185
ArpitGujju is beginning to get noticed
UL: 2.17 gb DL: 3.39 gb Ratio: 0.64
She chuckled."Wiki? I like that. Okay, what else? Let's see.... be honest with me, ifsomething annoys you let me know and I'll either agree or we'll fight about itand I'll win."
"As simpleas that?" Arpit grinned.
"Probablynot, but we'll figure that stuff out as we go. One last thing for now,"She said, pausing. "Please don't lie to me. If you start doing that, thenI can't do my job, and you'll be the person who feels the impact of that."
"Becauseyou'll punish me?" Arpit asked, still grinning.
Shikha snorted."No, but if that's what you're into, I think we have people for that. No,what I mean is if you're having an affair then tell me. It's no-one elsesbusiness, but if it can have a future consequence then I need to know so I canprepare, or take action to make sure it doesn't become an issue."
"Wow, okay.Well, I'm not having an affair, so that's one thing off the list."
She shook herhead. "Just one of a million different things you could use as anexample."
There was a knockat the door and the receptionist entered. "That's your aircraft ready forboarding. Hope you both have a good flight."
"Thanks,Dipa," Shikha said, rising and heading for the door.
"Yeah,thanks, man," Arpit added.
"Shallwe?" Shikha asked, waving towards the small Jet parked on the tarmac fiftymetres away.
If you're goingto fly, then private luxury jet is the way to do it, Arpit thought. Big leatherreclining seats, big TV, DVD's, games, great food, drinks, even a kick-assinternet connection. Bathroom with a multi-head shower, a kitchen with a propercoffee machine. Luxury in a steel tube at thirty seven thousand feet.
"Verynice," Arpit noted as he finally took his seat.
"Your firsttime in a luxury jet?" Shikha asked, settling herself across the smallaisle from him.
He nodded."Only ever flown with Air India and the seats aren't exactlyspacious."
Shikha smiled."Well, if you're flying then most of the time it will be in jets likethis. You should buckle up. We'll be taking off in the next few minutes."
"Cool."Arpit did as asked and got comfortable in his leather seat, facing forward onthe right side of the aircraft, while Shikha did the same to his left. As helooked around he had another of those surreal moments, wondering how the hellhis day had started writing a paper on 'Project Budget Control and FinancialReporting Issues' to suddenly being on a private jet with his 'assistant' aboutto travel to a WoodMasan island to meet sisters he never knew he had.
The thought ofTanmy and Trisha brought the subject to the fore in his mind again and hefrowned.
"Everythingokay, Arpit?" Shikha asked. "Are you nervous about flying?"
"What? No,never been a nervous flyer." He considered telling her about PattayaBeach, but figured he'd better get to know her better and then decide. Arpitknew if it was just him and his two sisters who knew what happened then hewouldn't ever need to tell anyone, but he was genuinely worried that there werefive other people who already knew.
Shikha turned herhead forward and settled back in her seat. "I used to be terrifiedwhenever I got on an aircraft, but in the last nine years I've been on so manyflights it doesn't bother me at all anymore."
Just at that, thePilot of the jet appeared, introducing himself as Captain Singh. He ran throughthe usual safety announcement, where the lifejackets were, and that theforecast was good for the weather and the flight should be arriving on time.
He disappeared intothe cockpit and locked the door and seconds later the jet was rolling onto therunway. It accelerated rapidly, pressing Arpit into his seat and then they wereoff the ground. He watched out the small window, looking down at streetlightsand cars moving on the Interstate, seeing the glow from the city in the nightsky.
As soon as theaircraft levelled off Shikha unbuckled her seat belt. "Fancy adrink?"
Arpit shrugged."Sure."
"Well, getcomfortable. We're going to be here for a while. How does a beer sound ?"
Arpit gave her athumbs up and unbuckled his seatbelt, then reached down and unlaced his newboots, bought earlier that day, then slid them under the seat. He pulled outhis phone and checked his emails while Shikha was in the galley.
Nothing fromRohit, but an email from Vishal, so he opened it up.
Hey fucker,
Rohit says you'vefucked off on a business jaunt for a week. WTF, dude? We're meant to be poonhunting this weekend! Anyway, where the fuck are you? And how much dick arethese director fuckers gonna make you suck?
Vishal, Esq.
Arpit shook hishead. Vishal had the subtlety of a wrecking ball sometimes, but he was a goodfriend. He typed back a reply.
Nutsack, Busyworking, preparing briefings on all kinds of stuff. Could really do withoutthis, but if I do a good job then instant promotion. That's worth another 27K ayear. Think how many beers that would buy!!! I'll be in touch in a couple ofdays. Stay OUT my apartment!!! You still owe me new sheets from the last time!K ps gave your number to a limo driver chick. Kinda hot, you two should havebabies.
Shikha appearedwith a large jug on a tray as well as two glasses of Beer. Arpit could smellthe lime before she even put it on the table in front of his seat.
"Emails?"
"Yeah, mybuddy, Vishal."
"You didn'ttell him what's going on, did you?" She gave him a stern look as she satdown opposite him.
Arpit chuckled."No, just told him it was a business trip for a week and that I might geta promotion out of it."
She nodded andsipped at her drink. "I've always loved these."
Arpit tasted hisown and nodded in agreement. "Nice."
"The pastrychef on the Island does a it. It's incredible."
"Soundsit," Arpit replied. "So tell me about the Island then. What's it like?"
"It'sbasically paradise. It's hot, there's a gorgeous cool breeze in the eveningsand the air always smells really clean. It's got white sandy beaches, clearblue water, palm trees. The accommodation is... luxury, to say the least. It'svery chilled, open and bright. The main house is a mixture of ancient Indianarchitecture with a beach hut twist."
Arpit laughed."That sounds like a sales pitch."
She smiled."It's how one of the guests described it and it's kinda stuck. Let's see.What else? Well, it's got all sorts of facilities. A gym, swimming pools, aclub, recording studios, helipad and a pier for the boat. There's a couple ofspeedboats too if you want to go for a run. It's got state of the artfacilities to run the businesses from, as well as all the usual tennis courts,medical clinic and a whole load of guest houses."
"It soundsenormous," Arpit observed. "And amazing."
"It isamazing. It's not huge though. As Islands go it's pretty small. It's builtaround two peaks with the main house on the western side and the guestaccommodation on the eastern side. The southern side is a wide bay and thenorthern side is mostly cliffs, but it's gorgeous, and the view of the sunsetsfrom the main house are incredible."
"How manypeople are on it?"
"Betweenserving staff, kitchen staff, maintenance and cleaners, as well as the Doc, theDentist, trainers, security.
"I didn'tknow you smoked," Shikha said, tilting her head, her expression curious.
"Recentlytook up the habit again. It's been quite a day."
"I bet ithas. How are you feeling?"
"Tense,nauseous, bemused, and kinda like I'm watching someone else in a movie, exceptthe movie's my life going in strange and wacky directions," Arpit replied.He moved to stand, but Shikha placed a hand on his leg and got up herself.
"I'll getyou an ashtray. Just smoke here if you want one."
"Fuckingweird" Arpit muttered, lighting up indoors. She returned shortly with anashtray.
"Wantsomething to drink? Beer? Cocktail? Coffee? Soda?"
Arpit shook hishead. "No, thanks, but don't let me stop you."
Shikha shook herhead and sat back down. "So how did the shopping go?"
"Kindabizarre," Arpit said, grinning. "Pulling up in a limo and wearingdesigner clothes when you walk in a store is a different level of service thanI'm used to."
"It'll getmore bizarre than that in the next few days," She warned. "Wait untilyou start getting fitted for tailored suits by Shraddha."
"She's theperson who wrote this list for me, right?"
Shikha nodded, aslight frown on her face. "That's Shraddha. She's got a really great eyefor dressing people."
"But..."Arpit added, guessing there was more.
Shikha smiled."But she's arrogant and a nuisance, and believes that fashion is the ultimatereason for the human race being on the planet."
Arpit laughed."Sounds like a joy to work with."
"Fortunatelyit doesn't happen very often, or my schedule would be shot to hell by brunch ona daily basis."
"So, I'mmeant to lean on you for advice and all that. What mistakes should I try andavoid?" Arpit asked, figuring he might as well find out.
"Timemanagement is going to be a factor for you. There's only so many hours in aday, and everyone will want a piece of them, so don't accept any appointments.Refer them all to me."
"Okay, thatmakes sense, I guess. I've never had an assistant before so I'm kinda gropingin the dark here," He admitted.
"You'll getused to it," She said, smiling disarmingly. "What else can I suggest?Ask me anything. Don't be afraid to ask it if you think it will upset me, or ifyou think it's stupid. Don't worry about asking twice either. You're going tobe taking so much information in over the course of a day that you'll forgetsome things, so rely on me. It's what I'm there for."
"Great. Myvery own wiki?"
Reply With Quote Multi-Quote This Message Quick reply to this message
#44 Add to ArpitGujju's Reputation Report Post
Unread 3rd July 2016
ArpitGujju ArpitGujju is offline
BollyGallery.com
Join Date: 27th November 2009
Posts: 195
Rep Power: 17 Points: 185
ArpitGujju is beginning to get noticed
UL: 2.17 gb DL: 3.39 gb Ratio: 0.64
She chuckled."Wiki? I like that. Okay, what else? Let's see.... be honest with me, ifsomething annoys you let me know and I'll either agree or we'll fight about itand I'll win."
"As simpleas that?" Arpit grinned.
"Probablynot, but we'll figure that stuff out as we go. One last thing for now,"She said, pausing. "Please don't lie to me. If you start doing that, thenI can't do my job, and you'll be the person who feels the impact of that."
"Becauseyou'll punish me?" Arpit asked, still grinning.
Shikha snorted."No, but if that's what you're into, I think we have people for that. No,what I mean is if you're having an affair then tell me. It's no-one elsesbusiness, but if it can have a future consequence then I need to know so I canprepare, or take action to make sure it doesn't become an issue."
"Wow, okay.Well, I'm not having an affair, so that's one thing off the list."
She shook herhead. "Just one of a million different things you could use as anexample."
There was a knockat the door and the receptionist entered. "That's your aircraft ready forboarding. Hope you both have a good flight."
"Thanks,Dipa," Shikha said, rising and heading for the door.
"Yeah,thanks, man," Arpit added.
"Shallwe?" Shikha asked, waving towards the small Jet parked on the tarmac fiftymetres away.
If you're goingto fly, then private luxury jet is the way to do it, Arpit thought. Big leatherreclining seats, big TV, DVD's, games, great food, drinks, even a kick-assinternet connection. Bathroom with a multi-head shower, a kitchen with a propercoffee machine. Luxury in a steel tube at thirty seven thousand feet.
"Verynice," Arpit noted as he finally took his seat.
"Your firsttime in a luxury jet?" Shikha asked, settling herself across the smallaisle from him.
He nodded."Only ever flown with Air India and the seats aren't exactlyspacious."
Shikha smiled."Well, if you're flying then most of the time it will be in jets likethis. You should buckle up. We'll be taking off in the next few minutes."
"Cool."Arpit did as asked and got comfortable in his leather seat, facing forward onthe right side of the aircraft, while Shikha did the same to his left. As helooked around he had another of those surreal moments, wondering how the hellhis day had started writing a paper on 'Project Budget Control and FinancialReporting Issues' to suddenly being on a private jet with his 'assistant' aboutto travel to a WoodMasan island to meet sisters he never knew he had.
The thought ofTanmy and Trisha brought the subject to the fore in his mind again and hefrowned.
"Everythingokay, Arpit?" Shikha asked. "Are you nervous about flying?"
"What? No,never been a nervous flyer." He considered telling her about PattayaBeach, but figured he'd better get to know her better and then decide. Arpitknew if it was just him and his two sisters who knew what happened then hewouldn't ever need to tell anyone, but he was genuinely worried that there werefive other people who already knew.
Shikha turned herhead forward and settled back in her seat. "I used to be terrifiedwhenever I got on an aircraft, but in the last nine years I've been on so manyflights it doesn't bother me at all anymore."
Just at that, thePilot of the jet appeared, introducing himself as Captain Singh. He ran throughthe usual safety announcement, where the lifejackets were, and that theforecast was good for the weather and the flight should be arriving on time.
He disappeared intothe cockpit and locked the door and seconds later the jet was rolling onto therunway. It accelerated rapidly, pressing Arpit into his seat and then they wereoff the ground. He watched out the small window, looking down at streetlightsand cars moving on the Interstate, seeing the glow from the city in the nightsky.
As soon as theaircraft levelled off Shikha unbuckled her seat belt. "Fancy adrink?"
Arpit shrugged."Sure."
"Well, getcomfortable. We're going to be here for a while. How does a beer sound ?"
Arpit gave her athumbs up and unbuckled his seatbelt, then reached down and unlaced his newboots, bought earlier that day, then slid them under the seat. He pulled outhis phone and checked his emails while Shikha was in the galley.
Nothing fromRohit, but an email from Vishal, so he opened it up.
Hey fucker,
Rohit says you'vefucked off on a business jaunt for a week. WTF, dude? We're meant to be poonhunting this weekend! Anyway, where the fuck are you? And how much dick arethese director fuckers gonna make you suck?
Vishal, Esq.
Arpit shook hishead. Vishal had the subtlety of a wrecking ball sometimes, but he was a goodfriend. He typed back a reply.
Nutsack, Busyworking, preparing briefings on all kinds of stuff. Could really do withoutthis, but if I do a good job then instant promotion. That's worth another 27K ayear. Think how many beers that would buy!!! I'll be in touch in a couple ofdays. Stay OUT my apartment!!! You still owe me new sheets from the last time!K ps gave your number to a limo driver chick. Kinda hot, you two should havebabies.
Shikha appearedwith a large jug on a tray as well as two glasses of Beer. Arpit could smellthe lime before she even put it on the table in front of his seat.
"Emails?"
"Yeah, mybuddy, Vishal."
"You didn'ttell him what's going on, did you?" She gave him a stern look as she satdown opposite him.
Arpit chuckled."No, just told him it was a business trip for a week and that I might geta promotion out of it."
She nodded andsipped at her drink. "I've always loved these."
Arpit tasted hisown and nodded in agreement. "Nice."
"The pastrychef on the Island does a it. It's incredible."
"Soundsit," Arpit replied. "So tell me about the Island then. What's it like?"
"It'sbasically paradise. It's hot, there's a gorgeous cool breeze in the eveningsand the air always smells really clean. It's got white sandy beaches, clearblue water, palm trees. The accommodation is... luxury, to say the least. It'svery chilled, open and bright. The main house is a mixture of ancient Indianarchitecture with a beach hut twist."
Arpit laughed."That sounds like a sales pitch."
She smiled."It's how one of the guests described it and it's kinda stuck. Let's see.What else? Well, it's got all sorts of facilities. A gym, swimming pools, aclub, recording studios, helipad and a pier for the boat. There's a couple ofspeedboats too if you want to go for a run. It's got state of the artfacilities to run the businesses from, as well as all the usual tennis courts,medical clinic and a whole load of guest houses."
"It soundsenormous," Arpit observed. "And amazing."
"It isamazing. It's not huge though. As Islands go it's pretty small. It's builtaround two peaks with the main house on the western side and the guestaccommodation on the eastern side. The southern side is a wide bay and thenorthern side is mostly cliffs, but it's gorgeous, and the view of the sunsetsfrom the main house are incredible."
"How manypeople are on it?"
"Betweenserving staff, kitchen staff, maintenance and cleaners, as well as the Doc, theDentist, trainers, security.
..."
"Quite a lotthen?" Arpit asked, surprised. He thought she was going to say somewherebetween seven or twelve.
"I thinkit's usually around ninety people residing there at a time, but they're notthere permanently. Four months on, two months off is the normal rotation.Anupam is the only one who lives there though."
"Who'sAnupam?"
"The IslandManager. He was involved in building the place years ago and stayed on to doupgrades and improvements. Mister Jhaveri lets him live there, and he runs theplace like a finely tuned engine."
"That'shandy, I guess." Arpit took another sip of his drink. "So what shouldI expect when I get there?"
Shikha smiled andput her drink down. "Well, it'll probably be a bit of a culture shock whenyou get there. Anupam will probably call you Master Gujju, or Master Arpit.That'll be because the staff on the Island will follow his lead. You'll bewaited on hand and foot, but you'll also have to work really hard."
"Doingwhat?"
"Everythingfrom reading briefings on the various businesses to improving your own personalimage, to..."
Arpit frowned andcut her off. "What does that mean? Improving my image?"
"There wasan article in Business India earlier this year and they cited that there areover twelve hundred billionaires in the world now. When Mister Jhaveri died thenumber went down by one, but now it's gone up by three. As such you'll be apublic figure and you'll be photographed by the paparazzi every time you go outin public." She shrugged. "At least for a while."
"MisterRawal mentioned something about that," Arpit said, his tone distinctilyunenthusiastic.
"So as aresult we have to manage your image, make sure you look like what people wouldexpect from the son of Siddharth Jhaveri. Someone confident, cool, smart.Stylists like Shraddha will take care of what you wear, how your hair isstyled, etc, but what kind of shape you're in will require some work."
"Eh?"Arpit frowned, wondering if he'd just been called fat. He was in pretty decentshape, wasn't overweight and played basketball a couple of night a week withhis friends.
Shikha smiled."I'm not trying to cause offence, Arpit. Right now if someone took yourpicture while you were sitting on a beach your stomach would look like it wasall rolls of fat, even though it isn't. So we need to tone you up andquickly."
"Is theregoing to be press on the Island?"
"No, butthere is going to be press when you get back. That's guaranteed, so let's makesure we control what pictures are taken and by whom, and lets make sure youlook great in them. That's what I mean by improving your personal image."
"So hittingthe gym then?"
"That's thestart of it," She nodded. "There's a trainer on the Island calledPawan. He'll work with you and get everything set up for fast results."
"Okay,"Arpit said, not convinced but knowing arguing about it now wouldn't changeanything until he talked to this trainer guy. "What else should Iexpect?"
"There'll bea lot of video conferences, lots of papers to read and decisions to make, andlots of work to do, so pretty much from the moment you get up until the momentyou go to bed you'll be living life by my schedule."
"Oh."The idea of paradise seemed a lot less exciting the more he discovered aboutit.
"Now at somepoint it's going to get you pissed at me because I'll be hustling you to getthings done. That's understandable and expected, so I'm explaining this rightnow so you understand why at times I'll seem like I'm bugging you."
"Soundsdelightful," Arpit chuckled.
"If yourschedule creeps, ten minute delays adding to other ten minute delays, andbefore you know it you're two hours late getting to your bed. That's two hoursless sleep than you should be getting. With me so far?"
"Yeah, andif that goes on for a few days..."
"Exactly. Bythat point you're not thinking straight, your decision making is poor, you feellike shit and all because you feel a little uncomfortable skipping the smalltalk after meetings." Shikha looked very earnest. "Now, if it affectsyou like that, then it affects me more. I'm up before you in the morning anddown after you at night, so it's important we try and stick to the schedule asmuch as possible."
"Okay,"Arpit nodded. "I can't promise I won't get grumpy or anything, but I'lltry and do my best."
"That's allI ask," She replied, giving him a dazzling smile. Arpit smiled back.
They watched amovie on the big TV and Shikha asked him all about his life, what it was likegrowing up, what was his life like yesterday and in the months previous. Did hehave a girlfriend, what was life like at school, what hobbies did he have.Arpit felt at a couple of points that he was being mined for data and tried toturn the questions back on her to find out the same answers about her life, butShikha skillfully turned the questions back on him, and did it in such a waythat Arpit felt relaxed and open with her.
Around one in themorning Shikha suggested they should try and get some sleep and disappearedback to the bathroom to get changed. She reappeared a few minutes later wearinga pair of jogging pants and a white t-shirt that showed the form hidden beneaththe business suit.
Wow, she'sfrickin hot," Arpit thought as he watched her lowering the leather chairinto a bed. His eyes roamed over her tight ass, her flat stomach, her fullbreasts. "Don't be an asshole, Arpit! After today the last thing youshould be doing is hitting on your new assistant, even if she is fine. Reallyfucking fine."
"Are yougetting changed, Arpit?" She asked, interrupting his musings.
"What? Oh,all my clothes and stuff are in the luggage in the hold." Arpit wishedhe'd packed a daysack or something with his Kindle in it. At least then hecould read something because he didn't feel like sleeping. There was too muchgoing on in his brain.
"You canaccess the hold through here," She told him, leading him past the bathroomto a panel on the wall. She pushed against it and it clicked open. The hold wassmall but lined on the right with his bags, a stack of small metal flightcaseslining the left side.
Arpit movedforward and had to open four bags before he found a pair of track pants and hisfavourite hooded jersey, and grabbing his Kindle he headed for the bathroom,got changed and then slumped in his seat to read for a while.
No matter howtired Arpit felt, he couldn't seem to shut his brain down and his usual trickof reading it into unconsciousness didn't work. He was quite surprised whenCaptain Singh re-appeared to wake Shikha and let them know they'd be landing inthirty minutes.
"Did you getany sleep?" She asked as she sat up and rolled her neck, easing out thekinks.
"Nope,"Arpit said, tapping the side of his head. "Too much going on uphere."
"Make sureyou let me know when you feel tired and I'll see if I can get you an hour ortwo," Shikha replied. She yawned. "Mind if I dive in the showerfirst?"
"Sure."Arpit turned back to his book but then changed his mind and went to the galleyto brew some coffee. By the time he'd got it figured out Shikha re-appeared,dressed now in a pair of beige linen trousers and a white vest top with a whitelinen shirt over the top.
"Is thatcoffee I can smell?" She asked, rubbing her hair with a towel.
"Yeah, Ithink I've figured the machine out," Arpit grinned. "Want a latte orsomething?"
"Espresso,if you can manage that?"
Arpit nodded andgot to work while Shikha finished towelling her hair dry. By the time he'd gothis own latte sorted out and an espresso for Shikha she'd hung the towel up andopened a box of danish, muffins and scones and piled them all on a plate.
"Breakfastsorted," She announced, heading back into the cabin.
As Arpit sat withher, picking at a cherry muffin he realised how weird this was. Here he wassitting in the cabin of a private jet with a really hot blonde who was freshfrom the shower, checking her emails on her phone with one hand while eatingher breakfast with the other.
"I guess thesurreal didn't stop with yesterday," he murmured.
"Sorry,Arpit. Didn't catch you there."
"Nothing.Just thinking out loud."
By the time he'deaten something and drunk his coffee he barely had time for a quick shower. Whenhe emerged, Shikha had laid out some clothes for him, a pair of dark blue denimjeans, a pair of black boots and a loose black shirt, along with a leather beltand a pair of shades.
He shrugged andwent into the bathroom, got dressed and then took his seat again.
"Goodtiming. We're about to land," Shikha told him, still flicking away at herphone. Her hair was straightened and tied in a neat ponytail behind her, herminimal makeup was re-applied and everything was neatly packed away in thecabin.
Arpit fastenedhis seatbelt, suffering a nicotine craving. "Looking forward to gettingoff the aircraft so I can have a smoke."
Shikha laughed."You should have just had one, Arpit. It's a private jet. You can do whatyou want."
"Yeah, butyou don't smoke, and the whole passive smoking thing is not good," Hepointed out.
"When I'mout partying I chain smoke," Shikha admitted. "Go for it. It'sfine."
Arpit shruggedand lit up. He looked out the window as the aircraft descended into the clouds.He turned back to see Shikha still flicking through information on her phone.
He frowned as herwords of the night before came back to him. Don't lie, tell the truth, talk tome about anything, trust in me. He wondered how much he could trust in her,specifically could he tell her about Bipasha/Trisha and Tanmy/Tamanna. Did hehave the courage to tell someone that he had carnal knowledge of his sisters,even if he didn't know they were his sisters at the time.
The thought ofthe five other people knowing swam to the fore, and he bit his lip as heconsidered what would happen if it ever came out.
"Quite a lotthen?" Arpit asked, surprised. He thought she was going to say somewherebetween seven or twelve.
"I thinkit's usually around ninety people residing there at a time, but they're notthere permanently. Four months on, two months off is the normal rotation.Anupam is the only one who lives there though."
"Who'sAnupam?"
"The IslandManager. He was involved in building the place years ago and stayed on to doupgrades and improvements. Mister Jhaveri lets him live there, and he runs theplace like a finely tuned engine."
"That'shandy, I guess." Arpit took another sip of his drink. "So what shouldI expect when I get there?"
Shikha smiled andput her drink down. "Well, it'll probably be a bit of a culture shock whenyou get there. Anupam will probably call you Master Gujju, or Master Arpit.That'll be because the staff on the Island will follow his lead. You'll bewaited on hand and foot, but you'll also have to work really hard."
"Doingwhat?"
"Everythingfrom reading briefings on the various businesses to improving your own personalimage, to..."
Arpit frowned andcut her off. "What does that mean? Improving my image?"
"There wasan article in Business India earlier this year and they cited that there areover twelve hundred billionaires in the world now. When Mister Jhaveri died thenumber went down by one, but now it's gone up by three. As such you'll be apublic figure and you'll be photographed by the paparazzi every time you go outin public." She shrugged. "At least for a while."
"MisterRawal mentioned something about that," Arpit said, his tone distinctilyunenthusiastic.
"So as aresult we have to manage your image, make sure you look like what people wouldexpect from the son of Siddharth Jhaveri. Someone confident, cool, smart.Stylists like Shraddha will take care of what you wear, how your hair isstyled, etc, but what kind of shape you're in will require some work."
"Eh?"Arpit frowned, wondering if he'd just been called fat. He was in pretty decentshape, wasn't overweight and played basketball a couple of night a week withhis friends.
Shikha smiled."I'm not trying to cause offence, Arpit. Right now if someone took yourpicture while you were sitting on a beach your stomach would look like it wasall rolls of fat, even though it isn't. So we need to tone you up andquickly."
"Is theregoing to be press on the Island?"
"No, butthere is going to be press when you get back. That's guaranteed, so let's makesure we control what pictures are taken and by whom, and lets make sure youlook great in them. That's what I mean by improving your personal image."
"So hittingthe gym then?"
"That's thestart of it," She nodded. "There's a trainer on the Island calledPawan. He'll work with you and get everything set up for fast results."
"Okay,"Arpit said, not convinced but knowing arguing about it now wouldn't changeanything until he talked to this trainer guy. "What else should Iexpect?"
"There'll bea lot of video conferences, lots of papers to read and decisions to make, andlots of work to do, so pretty much from the moment you get up until the momentyou go to bed you'll be living life by my schedule."
"Oh."The idea of paradise seemed a lot less exciting the more he discovered aboutit.
"Now at somepoint it's going to get you pissed at me because I'll be hustling you to getthings done. That's understandable and expected, so I'm explaining this rightnow so you understand why at times I'll seem like I'm bugging you."
"Soundsdelightful," Arpit chuckled.
"If yourschedule creeps, ten minute delays adding to other ten minute delays, andbefore you know it you're two hours late getting to your bed. That's two hoursless sleep than you should be getting. With me so far?"
"Yeah, andif that goes on for a few days..."
"Exactly. Bythat point you're not thinking straight, your decision making is poor, you feellike shit and all because you feel a little uncomfortable skipping the smalltalk after meetings." Shikha looked very earnest. "Now, if it affectsyou like that, then it affects me more. I'm up before you in the morning anddown after you at night, so it's important we try and stick to the schedule asmuch as possible."
"Okay,"Arpit nodded. "I can't promise I won't get grumpy or anything, but I'lltry and do my best."
"That's allI ask," She replied, giving him a dazzling smile. Arpit smiled back.
They watched amovie on the big TV and Shikha asked him all about his life, what it was likegrowing up, what was his life like yesterday and in the months previous. Did hehave a girlfriend, what was life like at school, what hobbies did he have.Arpit felt at a couple of points that he was being mined for data and tried toturn the questions back on her to find out the same answers about her life, butShikha skillfully turned the questions back on him, and did it in such a waythat Arpit felt relaxed and open with her.
Around one in themorning Shikha suggested they should try and get some sleep and disappearedback to the bathroom to get changed. She reappeared a few minutes later wearinga pair of jogging pants and a white t-shirt that showed the form hidden beneaththe business suit.
Wow, she'sfrickin hot," Arpit thought as he watched her lowering the leather chairinto a bed. His eyes roamed over her tight ass, her flat stomach, her fullbreasts. "Don't be an asshole, Arpit! After today the last thing youshould be doing is hitting on your new assistant, even if she is fine. Reallyfucking fine."
"Are yougetting changed, Arpit?" She asked, interrupting his musings.
"What? Oh,all my clothes and stuff are in the luggage in the hold." Arpit wishedhe'd packed a daysack or something with his Kindle in it. At least then hecould read something because he didn't feel like sleeping. There was too muchgoing on in his brain.
"You canaccess the hold through here," She told him, leading him past the bathroomto a panel on the wall. She pushed against it and it clicked open. The hold wassmall but lined on the right with his bags, a stack of small metal flightcaseslining the left side.
Arpit movedforward and had to open four bags before he found a pair of track pants and hisfavourite hooded jersey, and grabbing his Kindle he headed for the bathroom,got changed and then slumped in his seat to read for a while.
No matter howtired Arpit felt, he couldn't seem to shut his brain down and his usual trickof reading it into unconsciousness didn't work. He was quite surprised whenCaptain Singh re-appeared to wake Shikha and let them know they'd be landing inthirty minutes.
"Did you getany sleep?" She asked as she sat up and rolled her neck, easing out thekinks.
"Nope,"Arpit said, tapping the side of his head. "Too much going on uphere."
"Make sureyou let me know when you feel tired and I'll see if I can get you an hour ortwo," Shikha replied. She yawned. "Mind if I dive in the showerfirst?"
"Sure."Arpit turned back to his book but then changed his mind and went to the galleyto brew some coffee. By the time he'd got it figured out Shikha re-appeared,dressed now in a pair of beige linen trousers and a white vest top with a whitelinen shirt over the top.
"Is thatcoffee I can smell?" She asked, rubbing her hair with a towel.
"Yeah, Ithink I've figured the machine out," Arpit grinned. "Want a latte orsomething?"
"Espresso,if you can manage that?"
Arpit nodded andgot to work while Shikha finished towelling her hair dry. By the time he'd gothis own latte sorted out and an espresso for Shikha she'd hung the towel up andopened a box of danish, muffins and scones and piled them all on a plate.
"Breakfastsorted," She announced, heading back into the cabin.
As Arpit sat withher, picking at a cherry muffin he realised how weird this was. Here he wassitting in the cabin of a private jet with a really hot blonde who was freshfrom the shower, checking her emails on her phone with one hand while eatingher breakfast with the other.
"I guess thesurreal didn't stop with yesterday," he murmured.
"Sorry,Arpit. Didn't catch you there."
"Nothing.Just thinking out loud."
By the time he'deaten something and drunk his coffee he barely had time for a quick shower. Whenhe emerged, Shikha had laid out some clothes for him, a pair of dark blue denimjeans, a pair of black boots and a loose black shirt, along with a leather beltand a pair of shades.
He shrugged andwent into the bathroom, got dressed and then took his seat again.
"Goodtiming. We're about to land," Shikha told him, still flicking away at herphone. Her hair was straightened and tied in a neat ponytail behind her, herminimal makeup was re-applied and everything was neatly packed away in thecabin.
Arpit fastenedhis seatbelt, suffering a nicotine craving. "Looking forward to gettingoff the aircraft so I can have a smoke."
Shikha laughed."You should have just had one, Arpit. It's a private jet. You can do whatyou want."
"Yeah, butyou don't smoke, and the whole passive smoking thing is not good," Hepointed out.
"When I'mout partying I chain smoke," Shikha admitted. "Go for it. It'sfine."
Arpit shruggedand lit up. He looked out the window as the aircraft descended into the clouds.He turned back to see Shikha still flicking through information on her phone.
He frowned as herwords of the night before came back to him. Don't lie, tell the truth, talk tome about anything, trust in me. He wondered how much he could trust in her,specifically could he tell her about Bipasha/Trisha and Tanmy/Tamanna. Did hehave the courage to tell someone that he had carnal knowledge of his sisters,even if he didn't know they were his sisters at the time.
The thought ofthe five other people knowing swam to the fore, and he bit his lip as heconsidered what would happen if it ever came out.
"Shikha,"He said hesitantly.
------------------------------------------
"Yeah?"Her gaze lifted up from her phone, turning to a frown as she saw his seriousexpression.
"Rememberhow you told me I should trust you, and that you needed to know about thingsbefore they became a problem so you could take action?"
"Yes."
"Well,there's something I'm going to tell you, and..."
"Arpit,whatever you tell me and whatever we talk about is between you and I," Shesaid firmly. "Is it something bad?"
"It's kindafucked up," He said after a moment.
"Goahead," Shikha said, placing her phone in her lap and twisting to facehim.
"Three yearsago I was on Summar Vacation in Pattaya Beach. Vishal, Rohit and I met thesegirls, four of them, and we hit it off. We agreed to meet them later fordrinks, but before we did we headed for a strip club, mostly because Vishal's araging pervert, but whatever."
Shikha nodded."Okay."
"Well, Ispotted this stripper that looked a lot like the girl I was chatting toearlier, one of the four, right?"
"Goon."
"So I got alapdance from her, and it was... memorable."
"Whathappened?" Shikha asked.
"Oh, nothingbad. It was just... an exceptionally good lapdance," Arpit explained andblushed a little.
"Oh, okay.So was there a problem?"
"I'm comingto that. Anyway, we went and met the girls, and me and this girl who calledherself Anushka hit it off. The four of them and the three of us ended up backat their place and I spent the night with Anushka."
"Alright.Was there some police involvement or something?"
"No, nothinglike that. It was a great night, probably the best night of my life,"Arpit continued. "Here's the problem."
Shikha satwaiting patiently for Arpit to continue, really not sure where he was goingwith it.
"YesterdayMister Rawal showed me two photographs of two...."
Her hand flew toher mouth. "No fucking way," She blurted.
Arpit nodded, hisexpression frozen. "The stripper was named Bipasha, but her real name isTrisha, and the girl I spent the night with, Anushka was actually called Tanmy.Her full name is Tamanna."
"And youdidn't know?"
"Not afucking clue," Arpit replied. "I just went on vacation, got lapdancesfrom two strippers, spent the night with a hot chick I met at a waterpark andnow I find out three years later that...." His voice trailed off."They were my sisters"
"Okay," Shikha said after a moments thought. "Alright, I appreciate you trusting me with this Arpit." She shook her head as she thought about it, her eyes distant. "Talk about bad fucking luck."
"Tell me about it." He agreed immediately.
"Your friends know." It wasn't a question. "And so do hers."
"Yep," Arpit nodded. "And if we hit the papers they'll all realise at the same fucking instant that we've got.... history."
"Okay, we can deal with this," Shikha said quickly. "There's things we can do to ensure they stay quiet, make it in their best interests to keep this to themselves."
"Hey, I don't want anything bad to happen to them," Arpit said quickly.
"It's not like that," Shikha replied. "Positive reinforcement. We reward them for doing the right thing. If they agree to keep quiet then we can make sure they have a nice life, maybe a nice vacation every year or scholarships for any children they may have. We can remove any records of you having ever been to Pattaya Beach, things like that."
"Oh. Okay. Can it all be done quietly?"
"Very discretely," she nodded. "So run me through this again. You were with your friends, Rohit and Vishal?"
"Yes."
"And Tamanna was...."
"Tanmy," Arpit said. "She told me she goes by Tanmy."
"Okay, Tanmy was with three friends?"
"Yes."
"Do you know their names?"
"I think they were fake names, but there was Sonam. She was hispanic, kinda looked a bit like Jennifer Lopez, and her and Tanmy seemed quite tight. There was a black girl called Ashin, I think, and Kajol was the blonde one. Really skinny," He added.
"And you don't know if these names were real or fake?"
He shrugged. "I think they were fake names, but the four of them seemed like close friends, so you might be able to get the information from Tanmy."
"I can find out who they are," She said firmly.
"Oh, and they all went to Business School together. In Mumbai. I don't remember which one."
Shikha nodded. "Okay, I have to make a call, set some wheels in motion. Don't worry about this for now. It'll all be handled discretely, and nothing has been decided yet as to any courses of action. Right now it's about getting information and time is of the essence."
Arpit nodded and sank into his seat. It was almost like a bit of relief he felt, having told someone about it finally and their reaction wasn't horror or revulsion or disgust as he feared. He still knew deep down that he wasn't to know who they were, but a part of him felt sickened about it, mostly because he knew they were his favourite masturbation memories and the thought of seeing them again in the flesh gave him a tingle of excitement.
"Hi, it's Shikha," He heard her say, her phone pressed to her ear. "Yes, I've got an urgent tasking for you, personal investigations on three people, reports every twelve hours..... Mumbai, attended Berkeley Business School between one year and four years ago... friends with Tamanna Lawhead, aged 23. She dropped out two to three years ago.... Names are aliases, but they were friends with Miss Lawhead. Subject one is a hispanic female, twenty three years old, named Sonam, possibly an alias.... Yes, Subject Two is a black female, twenty three years old, named Ashin, possibly an alias.... Okay, Subject Three is a white female, twenty three years old named Kajol, possibly an alias. Blonde hair, very skinny..... No, that's all I've got."
Arpit watched her head tilted to the side, her expression intense as she listened to the person on the other end of the line.
"Okay, that's good.... Right, yes... Yes, please. Send me their files right through, no redactions." She saw Arpit looking at her and gave him a smile, and Arpit wondered what the hell was going on. How on earth they could track anyone down with as little information as that was insane, but it appeared that something was happening.
"Yes, please. Email them directly to me.... There's another two taskings for you too.... Arpit Gujju's friends, Vishal and Rohit..... Yes, please. To my email too..... Thanks. Speak to you in a few hours." She ended the call and turned to Arpit.
"Okay, we've got the names of the three girls. The one called Sonam was actually her real name but the other two were fakes," She explained simply.
"How the hell did you do that so quickly?" Arpit blurted. "You were only on the phone for five minutes."
"Oh, the investigator I was on the call with looked up Tanmy's facebook photos for her Summar Vacation vacation and looked at the tags on the names."
"Oh," Arpit said, feeling a bit stupid. "As simple as that?"
"Sometimes that's all it takes," Shikha shrugged. "Anyway, they're going to start sending me information through to find out how we can get some leverage on them."
"Shit," Arpit breathed, almost frightened at the lethal efficiency he'd just seen.
Shikha looked out the window and turned back to Arpit with a smile on her face. "Welcome to Portblair, Arpit."
He looked out the window, seeing the jet about to touch down on a runway. To the right he could see a small housing estate and beyond that the blue waters of the WoodMasan sea. The sun was just starting to come up and it cast everything on the ground in amazing shadows.
"Wow."
"Exactly," She replied.
With a gentle bump the jet touched down and after a couple of minutes it pulled up at a small building where a black four by four waited with a couple of serious men in suits outside it. A local official waited to one side, probably to check their passports.
"That's our ride," Shikha told him. "They'll take us to the boat."
"Boat?"
"Yeah, it'll take us to the Island," She explained. "It's very cool."
Arpit shook hands with Captain Singh and thanked him for the flight, then followed Shikha across the tarmac to the waiting vehicle.
Arpit shook handswith Captain Singh and thanked him for the flight, then followed Shikha acrossthe tarmac to the waiting vehicle. Two aircrew retrieved their bags and putthem in the trunk under the supervision of the two security guys while theofficial checked their passports, and within minutes they were off.
Arpit looked outthe windows at what he expected to be an amazing sight, a whole new culture,but most of it was still asleep and it ended up being little more than mostlydeserted streets. Five minutes later they took a turn onto a harbour and Arpitsmiled. The view of the water looked amazing and dozens of fishing boats linedthe piers at the small port.
The vehicle droveto the end quay and the Security guys got out and opened the doors for them.Arpit shook his head at how odd it seemed. He'd never had anyone guarding himbefore and these guys were grim and silent.
"Ah, there'sCaptain Kothari," Shikha said. Arpit followed her gaze down the quay towhere a portly man in faded jeans and a partially buttoned white shirtapproached.
"Shikha,"He boomed, his voice deep and strong.
"Morning,Captain. Are we ready to go?"
"As soon asyou're on board," He replied. His gaze turned to Arpit and he looked him upand down. "This him? The resemblance is there."
"ArpitGujju," He said, thrusting out a hand to the Captain.
"JigneshKothari," The man said, crushing Arpit's hand in a fearsome grip."Follow me, lad."
As soon as hisback was turned Arpit massaged his hand and caught Shikha grinning at him. Shenodded with her head and they followed the Captain down the pier. As theyneared the end Arpit caught sight of a boat in the water, unlike any he'd seenbefore.
He could see itwas a double-hulled Catamaran, but it wasn't a sailboat.
------------------------------------------
"Yeah?"Her gaze lifted up from her phone, turning to a frown as she saw his seriousexpression.
"Rememberhow you told me I should trust you, and that you needed to know about thingsbefore they became a problem so you could take action?"
"Yes."
"Well,there's something I'm going to tell you, and..."
"Arpit,whatever you tell me and whatever we talk about is between you and I," Shesaid firmly. "Is it something bad?"
"It's kindafucked up," He said after a moment.
"Goahead," Shikha said, placing her phone in her lap and twisting to facehim.
"Three yearsago I was on Summar Vacation in Pattaya Beach. Vishal, Rohit and I met thesegirls, four of them, and we hit it off. We agreed to meet them later fordrinks, but before we did we headed for a strip club, mostly because Vishal's araging pervert, but whatever."
Shikha nodded."Okay."
"Well, Ispotted this stripper that looked a lot like the girl I was chatting toearlier, one of the four, right?"
"Goon."
"So I got alapdance from her, and it was... memorable."
"Whathappened?" Shikha asked.
"Oh, nothingbad. It was just... an exceptionally good lapdance," Arpit explained andblushed a little.
"Oh, okay.So was there a problem?"
"I'm comingto that. Anyway, we went and met the girls, and me and this girl who calledherself Anushka hit it off. The four of them and the three of us ended up backat their place and I spent the night with Anushka."
"Alright.Was there some police involvement or something?"
"No, nothinglike that. It was a great night, probably the best night of my life,"Arpit continued. "Here's the problem."
Shikha satwaiting patiently for Arpit to continue, really not sure where he was goingwith it.
"YesterdayMister Rawal showed me two photographs of two...."
Her hand flew toher mouth. "No fucking way," She blurted.
Arpit nodded, hisexpression frozen. "The stripper was named Bipasha, but her real name isTrisha, and the girl I spent the night with, Anushka was actually called Tanmy.Her full name is Tamanna."
"And youdidn't know?"
"Not afucking clue," Arpit replied. "I just went on vacation, got lapdancesfrom two strippers, spent the night with a hot chick I met at a waterpark andnow I find out three years later that...." His voice trailed off."They were my sisters"
"Okay," Shikha said after a moments thought. "Alright, I appreciate you trusting me with this Arpit." She shook her head as she thought about it, her eyes distant. "Talk about bad fucking luck."
"Tell me about it." He agreed immediately.
"Your friends know." It wasn't a question. "And so do hers."
"Yep," Arpit nodded. "And if we hit the papers they'll all realise at the same fucking instant that we've got.... history."
"Okay, we can deal with this," Shikha said quickly. "There's things we can do to ensure they stay quiet, make it in their best interests to keep this to themselves."
"Hey, I don't want anything bad to happen to them," Arpit said quickly.
"It's not like that," Shikha replied. "Positive reinforcement. We reward them for doing the right thing. If they agree to keep quiet then we can make sure they have a nice life, maybe a nice vacation every year or scholarships for any children they may have. We can remove any records of you having ever been to Pattaya Beach, things like that."
"Oh. Okay. Can it all be done quietly?"
"Very discretely," she nodded. "So run me through this again. You were with your friends, Rohit and Vishal?"
"Yes."
"And Tamanna was...."
"Tanmy," Arpit said. "She told me she goes by Tanmy."
"Okay, Tanmy was with three friends?"
"Yes."
"Do you know their names?"
"I think they were fake names, but there was Sonam. She was hispanic, kinda looked a bit like Jennifer Lopez, and her and Tanmy seemed quite tight. There was a black girl called Ashin, I think, and Kajol was the blonde one. Really skinny," He added.
"And you don't know if these names were real or fake?"
He shrugged. "I think they were fake names, but the four of them seemed like close friends, so you might be able to get the information from Tanmy."
"I can find out who they are," She said firmly.
"Oh, and they all went to Business School together. In Mumbai. I don't remember which one."
Shikha nodded. "Okay, I have to make a call, set some wheels in motion. Don't worry about this for now. It'll all be handled discretely, and nothing has been decided yet as to any courses of action. Right now it's about getting information and time is of the essence."
Arpit nodded and sank into his seat. It was almost like a bit of relief he felt, having told someone about it finally and their reaction wasn't horror or revulsion or disgust as he feared. He still knew deep down that he wasn't to know who they were, but a part of him felt sickened about it, mostly because he knew they were his favourite masturbation memories and the thought of seeing them again in the flesh gave him a tingle of excitement.
"Hi, it's Shikha," He heard her say, her phone pressed to her ear. "Yes, I've got an urgent tasking for you, personal investigations on three people, reports every twelve hours..... Mumbai, attended Berkeley Business School between one year and four years ago... friends with Tamanna Lawhead, aged 23. She dropped out two to three years ago.... Names are aliases, but they were friends with Miss Lawhead. Subject one is a hispanic female, twenty three years old, named Sonam, possibly an alias.... Yes, Subject Two is a black female, twenty three years old, named Ashin, possibly an alias.... Okay, Subject Three is a white female, twenty three years old named Kajol, possibly an alias. Blonde hair, very skinny..... No, that's all I've got."
Arpit watched her head tilted to the side, her expression intense as she listened to the person on the other end of the line.
"Okay, that's good.... Right, yes... Yes, please. Send me their files right through, no redactions." She saw Arpit looking at her and gave him a smile, and Arpit wondered what the hell was going on. How on earth they could track anyone down with as little information as that was insane, but it appeared that something was happening.
"Yes, please. Email them directly to me.... There's another two taskings for you too.... Arpit Gujju's friends, Vishal and Rohit..... Yes, please. To my email too..... Thanks. Speak to you in a few hours." She ended the call and turned to Arpit.
"Okay, we've got the names of the three girls. The one called Sonam was actually her real name but the other two were fakes," She explained simply.
"How the hell did you do that so quickly?" Arpit blurted. "You were only on the phone for five minutes."
"Oh, the investigator I was on the call with looked up Tanmy's facebook photos for her Summar Vacation vacation and looked at the tags on the names."
"Oh," Arpit said, feeling a bit stupid. "As simple as that?"
"Sometimes that's all it takes," Shikha shrugged. "Anyway, they're going to start sending me information through to find out how we can get some leverage on them."
"Shit," Arpit breathed, almost frightened at the lethal efficiency he'd just seen.
Shikha looked out the window and turned back to Arpit with a smile on her face. "Welcome to Portblair, Arpit."
He looked out the window, seeing the jet about to touch down on a runway. To the right he could see a small housing estate and beyond that the blue waters of the WoodMasan sea. The sun was just starting to come up and it cast everything on the ground in amazing shadows.
"Wow."
"Exactly," She replied.
With a gentle bump the jet touched down and after a couple of minutes it pulled up at a small building where a black four by four waited with a couple of serious men in suits outside it. A local official waited to one side, probably to check their passports.
"That's our ride," Shikha told him. "They'll take us to the boat."
"Boat?"
"Yeah, it'll take us to the Island," She explained. "It's very cool."
Arpit shook hands with Captain Singh and thanked him for the flight, then followed Shikha across the tarmac to the waiting vehicle.
Arpit shook handswith Captain Singh and thanked him for the flight, then followed Shikha acrossthe tarmac to the waiting vehicle. Two aircrew retrieved their bags and putthem in the trunk under the supervision of the two security guys while theofficial checked their passports, and within minutes they were off.
Arpit looked outthe windows at what he expected to be an amazing sight, a whole new culture,but most of it was still asleep and it ended up being little more than mostlydeserted streets. Five minutes later they took a turn onto a harbour and Arpitsmiled. The view of the water looked amazing and dozens of fishing boats linedthe piers at the small port.
The vehicle droveto the end quay and the Security guys got out and opened the doors for them.Arpit shook his head at how odd it seemed. He'd never had anyone guarding himbefore and these guys were grim and silent.
"Ah, there'sCaptain Kothari," Shikha said. Arpit followed her gaze down the quay towhere a portly man in faded jeans and a partially buttoned white shirtapproached.
"Shikha,"He boomed, his voice deep and strong.
"Morning,Captain. Are we ready to go?"
"As soon asyou're on board," He replied. His gaze turned to Arpit and he looked him upand down. "This him? The resemblance is there."
"ArpitGujju," He said, thrusting out a hand to the Captain.
"JigneshKothari," The man said, crushing Arpit's hand in a fearsome grip."Follow me, lad."
As soon as hisback was turned Arpit massaged his hand and caught Shikha grinning at him. Shenodded with her head and they followed the Captain down the pier. As theyneared the end Arpit caught sight of a boat in the water, unlike any he'd seenbefore.
He could see itwas a double-hulled Catamaran, but it wasn't a sailboat.
It was like twospeedboats welded together then given to Ferrari to turn into something fastand cool. A large cabin sat astride the two hulls with angled windows, toppedby a small seating area upstairs, and the entire ship was coated in a kind ofmetallic charcoal colour. It looked fast, predatory and dangerous.
"This is theBetsy," Captain Kothari announced and Arpit chuckled. "Somethingfunny, lad?"
"Not at all,Captain," He replied quickly. "I just expected her to be named Daggeror Razor or something sharp and deadly. It's a really cool boat."
"You neverknew my Betsy," He winked.
Shikha led him onboard and the two Security guys appeared a couple of minutes later with theirbags. The other two members of the crew carried them into the cabin and stowedthem out the way while Arpit and Shikha sat down.
"Do you getseasick, Arpit?"
"Noidea," He replied. "I've never been at sea before."
"Okay, takeone of these pills," Shikha replied, taking a bottle from her bag. Shetook one of the pills out and popped it in her own mouth then handed the bottleto Arpit. "They're anti-nausea medication."
"They'reyours?"
"Yes,"She nodded. "I have to take them everytime I come on the boat."
Arpit nodded andlooked around for something to wash the pill down with. He found a bottle ofwater in the galley and took the pill, then joined Shikha on the sofa.
"This boat'ssomething," She said, a warning note in her voice. "You want to beseated when it opens up."
"Should wego upstairs?" Arpit suggested. The boat had really got his attention andhe wanted to see what it was like.
"Sure,"Shikha nodded and they headed out the back and up the stairs.
"Come toenjoy the ride?" Captain Kothari asked as they appeared on the upper deck.He was standing beside a large console with one hand on a steering wheel andthe other on a large lever. "We're just about to cast off."
"Arpit wantsto see what it's like when you open her up, Captain," Shikha told him, andArpit detected a hint of amusement in her tone.
The Captaingrinned and looked over the side of the boat. "We good?" He calleddown, then grunted a moment later, hit some buttons on the console and Arpitfelt the big engines come to life. The sheer power vibrated through his feet.
"Wow,"He murmured.
"Iknow," Shikha replied. "It's gets better."
"Can'twait."
The Captain movedthe lever forward an inch and the boat began to move away from the quay slowlyuntil they were clear of the other boats. A turn of the wheel had the nosepulling around to the right towards the open water.
"Hold tight,kids," Captain Kothari told them, and he pushed the lever most of the wayforward.
Arpit was pressedright back in his seat as the engines roared and the nose of the boat lifted.For a terrifying second he thought the boat was going to flip over, but then itraced forward. The wind was blasting through his hair in seconds as theCatamaran blasted out to sea. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing a huge sprayof water coming up behind him from the back of the boat.
"Holyfucking shit," He grinned, and laughed as he saw Shikha laughing at hisexpression. "This is seriously bad ass."
Arpit sat on theupper deck for ten minutes, revelling in the blast of fresh air in his face,but he began to yawn so Shikha suggested they went back downstairs. Once theywere seated in the cabin one of Captain Kothari' crew brought them coffee andfruit juice, and Arpit poured himself a cup.
"So I needto talk to you about Security, Arpit."
"Okay,"Arpit nodded. He figured that there was bound to be some security on theisland, so he was about to get a briefing on it.
"From thispoint forward, and in many different ways, you're going to be a target,"She said flatly, taking him by surprise.
He blinked."A target?"
"Yes. Inmany different ways. Because you're worth a lot of money, you'll be ahigh-level target for kidnappers, people will try and con you, the media willpursue you, women will try and seduce you, politicians will try and court you,basically you'll be sought after in many different ways."
Arpit laughed,drawing a frown from Shikha. It wasn't the reaction she'd been expecting, butit was one particular line in there that made him laugh.
"Women willtry and seduce me? I think you can chalk that one off as a non-existantthreat," He told her.
For all Arpit'slife he'd been the pursuer, and not particularly successful at it either. He'dhad a few girlfriends, but nothing serious, and certainly no-one he wanted tospend a great deal of time with either with the exception of Tanmy, but he'dalways had to do the work. Arpit didn't think a woman had ever put the moves onhim in his entire life.
Shikha sighed andclasped her hands together. "Okay, Arpit. How much do you know about perception?"
"You meanwhat you see?"
"No, I meanhow others see you. How your perception of yourself differs from how others seeyou."
He shrugged."I can't say I've given it much thought. You mean like an imagethough?"
"Sort of.Let me explain how people will perceive you, assuming you end up acceptingeverything thats on offer from this trip."
"Okay,"He replied, no longer laughing.
"From out ofnowhere comes this guy, one of the heirs to the Jhaveri billions, and he looksa lot like Siddharth Jhaveri himself. He's slim, in pretty decent shape and bythe time the stylists have been over him, he's looking pretty good. He's got adegree in Business from Stamford so he's bright, and no-one really knowsanything about him. With me so far?"
Arpit nodded,listening.
"So there'sthis guy. Rich, tall, dark hair, well groomed, smartly dressed and single. He'sgot sports cars, helicopters, boats and an unlimited supply of cash, so he canpretty much do whatever he wants, go wherever he wants and anyone he chooses totake with him is going to have the time of their life, right?"
"Yeah, butthat's not me," He pointed out.
"That's howpeople will perceive you though," Shikha said quickly. "Guys will beenvious of you, women will be attracted to you, and you'll be on the cover ofmagazines all over the world."
Despite thetablet earlier, he suddenly felt his stomach tense right up. Arpit shook hishead. "I'm sorry though, Shikha, but I'm not an attractive guy. I've neverbeen good with women and I've always had to do the chasing."
"And in thefuture, many of the women who would have laughed in your face before will throwthemselves at you."
"Why?"
"Because youhave everything they could possibly desire," She shrugged. "On agenetic level you'll turn some women on simply because you'll be able to carebetter for any possible children they could have and that'll make them want tomate with you. One of those genetic urges. Like why so many women think SimonCowell is hot."
"I thoughtthat was because he oozed confidence though."
"So does adouble-glazing salesman," she pointed out. "Besides, soon you'll havemore confidence about you than even Simon Cowell does. Plus, he's a asshole.You don't seem like that kind of guy."
Arpit rubbed athis head for a minute, thinking. "So if what you say turns out to be true,I can pretty much get my pick of women?"
"Prettymuch," She agreed. "And therein lies the problem. If women are easyfor you, then the ones who play hard to get become attractive to you, right?That means you can be manipulated. Then you score and the next thing there's asex-tape on the internet, and some girls famous. Or you've got a baby scandalon your hands and you're paying millions every year in alimony payments andsome girl who's smart enough to seduce you gets set up for life. Do you seewhere I'm coming from?"
"Iguess," He shrugged. "I'm still not convinced that women will throwthemselves at me though. That sounds a little too surreal, even for theweirdest day ever."
"Well,that's only one particular threat out of many. Throw in the risk of kidnappers,conmen, paparazzi, people trying to spike your drinks, and basically your lifejust became a lot more restricted than you thought it might be."
"So ifyou're right, then I'll have the money to be able to do whatever I want, but Iwon't be able to do whatever I want?"
"That'sabout right," Shikha nodded.
"Whereasyesterday I could do whatever I wanted, but didn't have the money to dowhatever I wanted," He stated.
"More orless."
"So what'sthe point in being rich?"
"Differentpeople want to do different things, have different motivations," Shikhaexplained. "As soon as you figure out what you want to do with your lifethen you'll have goals you can strive towards. For now, just take each day at atime and try not to go crazy."
Arpit sat andthought about that for a few minutes then asked another question.
"So how doesit work then?"
"Thesecurity side of things? You'll have a bodyguard, or more usually several,depending on where you are and what you're doing, but there'll be one guy whostays with you, looks after you and advises you if something's too risky. I'dsuggest you listen to him if he says that though."
"So who'smine?" Arpit asked.
"Thatdepends who you appoint. We do have a shortlist of suitable candidates though,but in the meantime, the island is secure so it's not an immediately pressingconcern."
A thought struckArpit. "Is that why this boat's so kick-ass, but only used as aferry?"
Shikha smiled,pleased that he'd made the connection. "If we're on the water, then we'revulnerable, so the boat has the power to get us far away from any threats veryquickly, and if there's any we can't outrun, then Captain Kothari and his creware more than capable of fighting off any threats. He's an ex SEAL. So are hiscrew."
"Wow,"Arpit murmured. This was serious stuff, he realised and he sat quietlyconsidering it all for a while. If what Shikha said was true, and even if heended up returning to his normal life after a few days, he'd still be a target.Arpit's life had well and truly changed.
"This is theBetsy," Captain Kothari announced and Arpit chuckled. "Somethingfunny, lad?"
"Not at all,Captain," He replied quickly. "I just expected her to be named Daggeror Razor or something sharp and deadly. It's a really cool boat."
"You neverknew my Betsy," He winked.
Shikha led him onboard and the two Security guys appeared a couple of minutes later with theirbags. The other two members of the crew carried them into the cabin and stowedthem out the way while Arpit and Shikha sat down.
"Do you getseasick, Arpit?"
"Noidea," He replied. "I've never been at sea before."
"Okay, takeone of these pills," Shikha replied, taking a bottle from her bag. Shetook one of the pills out and popped it in her own mouth then handed the bottleto Arpit. "They're anti-nausea medication."
"They'reyours?"
"Yes,"She nodded. "I have to take them everytime I come on the boat."
Arpit nodded andlooked around for something to wash the pill down with. He found a bottle ofwater in the galley and took the pill, then joined Shikha on the sofa.
"This boat'ssomething," She said, a warning note in her voice. "You want to beseated when it opens up."
"Should wego upstairs?" Arpit suggested. The boat had really got his attention andhe wanted to see what it was like.
"Sure,"Shikha nodded and they headed out the back and up the stairs.
"Come toenjoy the ride?" Captain Kothari asked as they appeared on the upper deck.He was standing beside a large console with one hand on a steering wheel andthe other on a large lever. "We're just about to cast off."
"Arpit wantsto see what it's like when you open her up, Captain," Shikha told him, andArpit detected a hint of amusement in her tone.
The Captaingrinned and looked over the side of the boat. "We good?" He calleddown, then grunted a moment later, hit some buttons on the console and Arpitfelt the big engines come to life. The sheer power vibrated through his feet.
"Wow,"He murmured.
"Iknow," Shikha replied. "It's gets better."
"Can'twait."
The Captain movedthe lever forward an inch and the boat began to move away from the quay slowlyuntil they were clear of the other boats. A turn of the wheel had the nosepulling around to the right towards the open water.
"Hold tight,kids," Captain Kothari told them, and he pushed the lever most of the wayforward.
Arpit was pressedright back in his seat as the engines roared and the nose of the boat lifted.For a terrifying second he thought the boat was going to flip over, but then itraced forward. The wind was blasting through his hair in seconds as theCatamaran blasted out to sea. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing a huge sprayof water coming up behind him from the back of the boat.
"Holyfucking shit," He grinned, and laughed as he saw Shikha laughing at hisexpression. "This is seriously bad ass."
Arpit sat on theupper deck for ten minutes, revelling in the blast of fresh air in his face,but he began to yawn so Shikha suggested they went back downstairs. Once theywere seated in the cabin one of Captain Kothari' crew brought them coffee andfruit juice, and Arpit poured himself a cup.
"So I needto talk to you about Security, Arpit."
"Okay,"Arpit nodded. He figured that there was bound to be some security on theisland, so he was about to get a briefing on it.
"From thispoint forward, and in many different ways, you're going to be a target,"She said flatly, taking him by surprise.
He blinked."A target?"
"Yes. Inmany different ways. Because you're worth a lot of money, you'll be ahigh-level target for kidnappers, people will try and con you, the media willpursue you, women will try and seduce you, politicians will try and court you,basically you'll be sought after in many different ways."
Arpit laughed,drawing a frown from Shikha. It wasn't the reaction she'd been expecting, butit was one particular line in there that made him laugh.
"Women willtry and seduce me? I think you can chalk that one off as a non-existantthreat," He told her.
For all Arpit'slife he'd been the pursuer, and not particularly successful at it either. He'dhad a few girlfriends, but nothing serious, and certainly no-one he wanted tospend a great deal of time with either with the exception of Tanmy, but he'dalways had to do the work. Arpit didn't think a woman had ever put the moves onhim in his entire life.
Shikha sighed andclasped her hands together. "Okay, Arpit. How much do you know about perception?"
"You meanwhat you see?"
"No, I meanhow others see you. How your perception of yourself differs from how others seeyou."
He shrugged."I can't say I've given it much thought. You mean like an imagethough?"
"Sort of.Let me explain how people will perceive you, assuming you end up acceptingeverything thats on offer from this trip."
"Okay,"He replied, no longer laughing.
"From out ofnowhere comes this guy, one of the heirs to the Jhaveri billions, and he looksa lot like Siddharth Jhaveri himself. He's slim, in pretty decent shape and bythe time the stylists have been over him, he's looking pretty good. He's got adegree in Business from Stamford so he's bright, and no-one really knowsanything about him. With me so far?"
Arpit nodded,listening.
"So there'sthis guy. Rich, tall, dark hair, well groomed, smartly dressed and single. He'sgot sports cars, helicopters, boats and an unlimited supply of cash, so he canpretty much do whatever he wants, go wherever he wants and anyone he chooses totake with him is going to have the time of their life, right?"
"Yeah, butthat's not me," He pointed out.
"That's howpeople will perceive you though," Shikha said quickly. "Guys will beenvious of you, women will be attracted to you, and you'll be on the cover ofmagazines all over the world."
Despite thetablet earlier, he suddenly felt his stomach tense right up. Arpit shook hishead. "I'm sorry though, Shikha, but I'm not an attractive guy. I've neverbeen good with women and I've always had to do the chasing."
"And in thefuture, many of the women who would have laughed in your face before will throwthemselves at you."
"Why?"
"Because youhave everything they could possibly desire," She shrugged. "On agenetic level you'll turn some women on simply because you'll be able to carebetter for any possible children they could have and that'll make them want tomate with you. One of those genetic urges. Like why so many women think SimonCowell is hot."
"I thoughtthat was because he oozed confidence though."
"So does adouble-glazing salesman," she pointed out. "Besides, soon you'll havemore confidence about you than even Simon Cowell does. Plus, he's a asshole.You don't seem like that kind of guy."
Arpit rubbed athis head for a minute, thinking. "So if what you say turns out to be true,I can pretty much get my pick of women?"
"Prettymuch," She agreed. "And therein lies the problem. If women are easyfor you, then the ones who play hard to get become attractive to you, right?That means you can be manipulated. Then you score and the next thing there's asex-tape on the internet, and some girls famous. Or you've got a baby scandalon your hands and you're paying millions every year in alimony payments andsome girl who's smart enough to seduce you gets set up for life. Do you seewhere I'm coming from?"
"Iguess," He shrugged. "I'm still not convinced that women will throwthemselves at me though. That sounds a little too surreal, even for theweirdest day ever."
"Well,that's only one particular threat out of many. Throw in the risk of kidnappers,conmen, paparazzi, people trying to spike your drinks, and basically your lifejust became a lot more restricted than you thought it might be."
"So ifyou're right, then I'll have the money to be able to do whatever I want, but Iwon't be able to do whatever I want?"
"That'sabout right," Shikha nodded.
"Whereasyesterday I could do whatever I wanted, but didn't have the money to dowhatever I wanted," He stated.
"More orless."
"So what'sthe point in being rich?"
"Differentpeople want to do different things, have different motivations," Shikhaexplained. "As soon as you figure out what you want to do with your lifethen you'll have goals you can strive towards. For now, just take each day at atime and try not to go crazy."
Arpit sat andthought about that for a few minutes then asked another question.
"So how doesit work then?"
"Thesecurity side of things? You'll have a bodyguard, or more usually several,depending on where you are and what you're doing, but there'll be one guy whostays with you, looks after you and advises you if something's too risky. I'dsuggest you listen to him if he says that though."
"So who'smine?" Arpit asked.
"Thatdepends who you appoint. We do have a shortlist of suitable candidates though,but in the meantime, the island is secure so it's not an immediately pressingconcern."
A thought struckArpit. "Is that why this boat's so kick-ass, but only used as aferry?"
Shikha smiled,pleased that he'd made the connection. "If we're on the water, then we'revulnerable, so the boat has the power to get us far away from any threats veryquickly, and if there's any we can't outrun, then Captain Kothari and his creware more than capable of fighting off any threats. He's an ex SEAL. So are hiscrew."
"Wow,"Arpit murmured. This was serious stuff, he realised and he sat quietlyconsidering it all for a while. If what Shikha said was true, and even if heended up returning to his normal life after a few days, he'd still be a target.Arpit's life had well and truly changed.
He still didn'tknow if it was for the better, but it was certainly going to be different.
The Island cameinto view and Arpit stood up at the windows for a better look. It was gorgeous,a tropical paradise of palm trees and beautiful white sandy beaches. The cliffsthat rose up out of the water to the east and west were natural and rugged andthe structures he could see seemed to enhance the natural beauty rather thandetract from it.
"It's betterthan I imagined," Arpit admitted.
"Iknow," Shikha said, standing beside him. "I love it here."
Arpit could feelthe nerves building in his stomach again as the boat approached the pier andall too soon it was alongside it, the crew tying the Betsy against it. He couldsee several people waiting at the end of the pier and he took a deep breath,then let it out slowly.
"What's theIsland Manager guy's name again?" He asked.
"Anupam,"Shikha replied. "It's the guy there with the white hair and the blackshirt. He always wears black shirts."
"Why?"Arpit asked, more to keep the conversation going than out of any real interest.
"Don't know.He just always does." Shikha chuckled. "I've no idea why I even broughtthat up."
"So whathappens now?"
She turned toface him. "You'll meet Anupam. He'll walk you up to the main house, showyou your suite and probably give you a quick briefing on the Island over a cupof tea. He likes his cups of tea. Anyway, by the time he's done with that yourluggage should be in your suite, and you've got around eight hours before yoursisters arrive."
"They'reboth coming?" Arpit asked, not knowing how Mister Rawal had got on withthem.
"Oh, did Inot say?" Shikha scowled. "Sorry, Arpit. Yes, they're bothcoming."
"Okay."He felt that little lurch of excitement at the thought of seeing them again,and looked unhappy.
"Arpit. CanI just say something," Shikha said softly, moving a step closer to him.
"Sure."
"You know itcan't happen again, right?" She said, her voice low. "You and Tanmy,I mean."
"Oh, Iknow," He replied immediately.
"Believe me, I know. This is fucked upenough without anything else happening."
She noddedquickly. "Good. I just wanted to... make sure you knew."
"Idefinitely know," Arpit replied.
"Good. Shallwe disembark then?" Shikha smiled. "Go and explore paradise? We canrun through the rest of your schedule later."
Arpit squared hisshoulders and nodded. "Okay."
Shikha led him upthe gangplank onto the pier where the first person to step forward was Anupam,an elderly gent in his early sixties. They shook hands.
"Welcome tothe Island, Master Gujju," Anupam said, his accent like the stiff upperlip British you'd hear in an old sitcom like Fawlty Towers.
"Arpit'sfine, Anupam, and thanks."
"MasterArpit then," He said. "Welcome to the Island. If you'd care to followme?"
Arpit nodded,realising he wasn't going to be introduced to the four men and women waitingnearby. They were dressed identically in purple polo shirts and black trousers,and he realised they must be some of the staff from the Island, probably thereto carry his bags.
Anupam began walking along the wooden pier, its thick planks heldup by wide round posts sunk into the ground that reached waist height.
Arpit followed, feeling the heat already in the air despite it onlybeing an hour or so since the sun came up. The water on either side of the pierwas the clearest blue he'd ever seen, like something from a picture postcard,and the white sand on the beach matched it perfectly.
The pier ended at a wide flagstoned pathway leading straight up thebeach and into the trees and Anupam led them straight up. "This is themain pathway up from the dock, Master Arpit," Anupam explained as theywalked. "There are a number of pathways criss-crossing the Island, but I'mnot going to show you them all now. We're simply going to head for the mainhouse, which is directly up this hill."
The path was quite steep as it rose up from the beach, but not atsuch an angle that stairs were required. As they entered the treeline Arpitslowed and looked at the Palm trees shading them, rising tall and majestic in amyriad of curves, casting angular shadows over the path.
"Please keep up, Master Arpit," Anupam said briskly as hestrode ahead. Arpit glanced at Shikha, who gave him a quick grin then noddedwith her head that he should get going.
They continued up the sloping path, veering around a couple ofsmall buildings that Anupam identified as a Security office and a storeroom forscuba equipment, and then a large two-story building came into view.
"The lower floor of this building houses the Islands medicalfacilities and some administrative offices. The upper floor is my home andoffice, should you ever need to find me," Anupam announced. "Our pathleads to the left now."
They rounded the building and Arpit found himself on a wide woodenwalkway that reminded him of Mister Miyagi's garden in the original TrishateKid movie. It was slightly above the level of the gardens beneath it and linedby palm trees on either side. The far Eastern influences were obvious, and ashis eyes followed it he paused, seeing the main house for the first time.
It was a mixture of ancient Indian and WoodMasan, a strangecombination, but one that really worked in the surroundings. A two storycentral tower was flanked on either side by three story towers, the mainstructural beams all wooden and instead of rice paper doors and walls it was amixture of opaque and clear glass. The roofs were circular, like you'd expectin a beach hut, and the whole structure looked like it was made from naturalmaterials.
"That's gorgeous," Arpit blurted.
"Thank you very much, Master Arpit," Anupam replied,stopping. "It took me nearly four months to get the designs right andanother eight months to build it, but I am rather proud of it."
"You designed it?"
"Yes, Master Arpit," The old man nodded."Architecture has always held a fascination for me. In fact, I'm fortunateenough to say, all the buildings on the Island were my designs."
"That's very impressive," Arpit said and saw the old mansmile.
"If you'll follow me?" Anupam led off again, heading forthe main house.
"Well done, Arpit," Shikha whispered as they moved tofollow. "Anupam likes being flattered."
Arpit shrugged and nodded, not really meaning to do it as he wasjust being honest.
They followed Anupam up to a wide flagstoned patio and as theyapproached the house, Arpit could see inside it. The central tower must havebeen sixty feet wide and the ground floor was smooth polished wood that shoneas the light reflected off it. A dining table that must be able to seat thirtypeople took up the right side of the room, and the left was split into severalseating areas, wide sofas and coffee tables, and a massive fireplace satagainst the wall. A wide thoroughfare led straight out open doors at the otherside to a large decked area and an infinity pool with a view straight over theocean.
"Oh, wow."
"Oh, yes," Shikha replied. "Wait until you see therooms."
As Anupam led them inside Arpit could see wooden staircases on thefar corners of the room leading to the floor above and wide doorways under themleading to the flanking towers.
"This place is amazing," Arpit said, his eyes continuallyroving around the room. Photographs of the Island were dotted around the walls,along with vases of flowers and plants in pots. Baskets of fruit sat on thecoffee tables and as they walked out the other side of the house Arpit saw thepool area.
The two flanking towers had buildings behind them, he saw, twostory rectangular structures that enclosed the main house right to the edge ofthe cliffs, sheltering the pool area on three sides, the other side opening tothe ocean. Deckchairs and sunloungers lay to the right and left of the largepool and a canopied area with tables and chairs sat to his immediate right.
"Welcome to the main house, Master Arpit," Anupam said,turning to face him. "I'll just give you a quick description of thelayout, if that's alright?"
"Sure."
"Well, the main social area of the house we've just beenthrough, and your suite is located on the floor above," Anupam stated."If you look you can see the balcony that overlooks the pool area and runsaround the upper floor of the three towers."
"I bet the view is amazing up there," Arpit muttered.
"The sunsets are rather spectacular as it faces theWest," Anupam replied. "Now, to the right of the pool is a bar andrestaurant, with two small guest suites above it."
"Sorry to interrupt, Anupam," Arpit said as he looked atthe building. "Is it okay if I smoke out here? I don't know what the rulesare, and..."
Anupam raised his hand in the air and snapped his fingers. One ofthe staff appeared from inside the house. "Bring Master Arpit anashtray." The old man turned back to them. "Where are my manners?What would you like to drink, Master Arpit?"
Arpit shrugged, not really knowing. It was too hot for coffee andhe felt tired and grubby from the travel and a lack of sleep. "Some fruitjuice or something?"
"Two orange, peach and cranberry juices please, Meena,"Shikha said, addressing the member of staff directly. She nodded anddisappeared. "I hope that's okay? It's nice and refreshing, Arpit."
"It sounds it." Arpit took out his cigarettes and lit up.
"Moving on, on the opposite side of the pool is a businesssuite on the lower floor and another two guest suites above it. The businesssuite continues through to the ground floor of the tower here, and links upwith the main room."
"That's a lot of business suite," Arpit noted.
"Mister Jhaveri liked to conduct a lot of business here,"Anupam replied. "On the middle floor of each of the towers are largesuites, similar in size to your own. Your sisters will have them, Trisha on theright and Tamanna on the left."
"So on either side of mine then?"
"That's correct, Master Arpit.
The Island cameinto view and Arpit stood up at the windows for a better look. It was gorgeous,a tropical paradise of palm trees and beautiful white sandy beaches. The cliffsthat rose up out of the water to the east and west were natural and rugged andthe structures he could see seemed to enhance the natural beauty rather thandetract from it.
"It's betterthan I imagined," Arpit admitted.
"Iknow," Shikha said, standing beside him. "I love it here."
Arpit could feelthe nerves building in his stomach again as the boat approached the pier andall too soon it was alongside it, the crew tying the Betsy against it. He couldsee several people waiting at the end of the pier and he took a deep breath,then let it out slowly.
"What's theIsland Manager guy's name again?" He asked.
"Anupam,"Shikha replied. "It's the guy there with the white hair and the blackshirt. He always wears black shirts."
"Why?"Arpit asked, more to keep the conversation going than out of any real interest.
"Don't know.He just always does." Shikha chuckled. "I've no idea why I even broughtthat up."
"So whathappens now?"
She turned toface him. "You'll meet Anupam. He'll walk you up to the main house, showyou your suite and probably give you a quick briefing on the Island over a cupof tea. He likes his cups of tea. Anyway, by the time he's done with that yourluggage should be in your suite, and you've got around eight hours before yoursisters arrive."
"They'reboth coming?" Arpit asked, not knowing how Mister Rawal had got on withthem.
"Oh, did Inot say?" Shikha scowled. "Sorry, Arpit. Yes, they're bothcoming."
"Okay."He felt that little lurch of excitement at the thought of seeing them again,and looked unhappy.
"Arpit. CanI just say something," Shikha said softly, moving a step closer to him.
"Sure."
"You know itcan't happen again, right?" She said, her voice low. "You and Tanmy,I mean."
"Oh, Iknow," He replied immediately.
"Believe me, I know. This is fucked upenough without anything else happening."
She noddedquickly. "Good. I just wanted to... make sure you knew."
"Idefinitely know," Arpit replied.
"Good. Shallwe disembark then?" Shikha smiled. "Go and explore paradise? We canrun through the rest of your schedule later."
Arpit squared hisshoulders and nodded. "Okay."
Shikha led him upthe gangplank onto the pier where the first person to step forward was Anupam,an elderly gent in his early sixties. They shook hands.
"Welcome tothe Island, Master Gujju," Anupam said, his accent like the stiff upperlip British you'd hear in an old sitcom like Fawlty Towers.
"Arpit'sfine, Anupam, and thanks."
"MasterArpit then," He said. "Welcome to the Island. If you'd care to followme?"
Arpit nodded,realising he wasn't going to be introduced to the four men and women waitingnearby. They were dressed identically in purple polo shirts and black trousers,and he realised they must be some of the staff from the Island, probably thereto carry his bags.
Anupam began walking along the wooden pier, its thick planks heldup by wide round posts sunk into the ground that reached waist height.
Arpit followed, feeling the heat already in the air despite it onlybeing an hour or so since the sun came up. The water on either side of the pierwas the clearest blue he'd ever seen, like something from a picture postcard,and the white sand on the beach matched it perfectly.
The pier ended at a wide flagstoned pathway leading straight up thebeach and into the trees and Anupam led them straight up. "This is themain pathway up from the dock, Master Arpit," Anupam explained as theywalked. "There are a number of pathways criss-crossing the Island, but I'mnot going to show you them all now. We're simply going to head for the mainhouse, which is directly up this hill."
The path was quite steep as it rose up from the beach, but not atsuch an angle that stairs were required. As they entered the treeline Arpitslowed and looked at the Palm trees shading them, rising tall and majestic in amyriad of curves, casting angular shadows over the path.
"Please keep up, Master Arpit," Anupam said briskly as hestrode ahead. Arpit glanced at Shikha, who gave him a quick grin then noddedwith her head that he should get going.
They continued up the sloping path, veering around a couple ofsmall buildings that Anupam identified as a Security office and a storeroom forscuba equipment, and then a large two-story building came into view.
"The lower floor of this building houses the Islands medicalfacilities and some administrative offices. The upper floor is my home andoffice, should you ever need to find me," Anupam announced. "Our pathleads to the left now."
They rounded the building and Arpit found himself on a wide woodenwalkway that reminded him of Mister Miyagi's garden in the original TrishateKid movie. It was slightly above the level of the gardens beneath it and linedby palm trees on either side. The far Eastern influences were obvious, and ashis eyes followed it he paused, seeing the main house for the first time.
It was a mixture of ancient Indian and WoodMasan, a strangecombination, but one that really worked in the surroundings. A two storycentral tower was flanked on either side by three story towers, the mainstructural beams all wooden and instead of rice paper doors and walls it was amixture of opaque and clear glass. The roofs were circular, like you'd expectin a beach hut, and the whole structure looked like it was made from naturalmaterials.
"That's gorgeous," Arpit blurted.
"Thank you very much, Master Arpit," Anupam replied,stopping. "It took me nearly four months to get the designs right andanother eight months to build it, but I am rather proud of it."
"You designed it?"
"Yes, Master Arpit," The old man nodded."Architecture has always held a fascination for me. In fact, I'm fortunateenough to say, all the buildings on the Island were my designs."
"That's very impressive," Arpit said and saw the old mansmile.
"If you'll follow me?" Anupam led off again, heading forthe main house.
"Well done, Arpit," Shikha whispered as they moved tofollow. "Anupam likes being flattered."
Arpit shrugged and nodded, not really meaning to do it as he wasjust being honest.
They followed Anupam up to a wide flagstoned patio and as theyapproached the house, Arpit could see inside it. The central tower must havebeen sixty feet wide and the ground floor was smooth polished wood that shoneas the light reflected off it. A dining table that must be able to seat thirtypeople took up the right side of the room, and the left was split into severalseating areas, wide sofas and coffee tables, and a massive fireplace satagainst the wall. A wide thoroughfare led straight out open doors at the otherside to a large decked area and an infinity pool with a view straight over theocean.
"Oh, wow."
"Oh, yes," Shikha replied. "Wait until you see therooms."
As Anupam led them inside Arpit could see wooden staircases on thefar corners of the room leading to the floor above and wide doorways under themleading to the flanking towers.
"This place is amazing," Arpit said, his eyes continuallyroving around the room. Photographs of the Island were dotted around the walls,along with vases of flowers and plants in pots. Baskets of fruit sat on thecoffee tables and as they walked out the other side of the house Arpit saw thepool area.
The two flanking towers had buildings behind them, he saw, twostory rectangular structures that enclosed the main house right to the edge ofthe cliffs, sheltering the pool area on three sides, the other side opening tothe ocean. Deckchairs and sunloungers lay to the right and left of the largepool and a canopied area with tables and chairs sat to his immediate right.
"Welcome to the main house, Master Arpit," Anupam said,turning to face him. "I'll just give you a quick description of thelayout, if that's alright?"
"Sure."
"Well, the main social area of the house we've just beenthrough, and your suite is located on the floor above," Anupam stated."If you look you can see the balcony that overlooks the pool area and runsaround the upper floor of the three towers."
"I bet the view is amazing up there," Arpit muttered.
"The sunsets are rather spectacular as it faces theWest," Anupam replied. "Now, to the right of the pool is a bar andrestaurant, with two small guest suites above it."
"Sorry to interrupt, Anupam," Arpit said as he looked atthe building. "Is it okay if I smoke out here? I don't know what the rulesare, and..."
Anupam raised his hand in the air and snapped his fingers. One ofthe staff appeared from inside the house. "Bring Master Arpit anashtray." The old man turned back to them. "Where are my manners?What would you like to drink, Master Arpit?"
Arpit shrugged, not really knowing. It was too hot for coffee andhe felt tired and grubby from the travel and a lack of sleep. "Some fruitjuice or something?"
"Two orange, peach and cranberry juices please, Meena,"Shikha said, addressing the member of staff directly. She nodded anddisappeared. "I hope that's okay? It's nice and refreshing, Arpit."
"It sounds it." Arpit took out his cigarettes and lit up.
"Moving on, on the opposite side of the pool is a businesssuite on the lower floor and another two guest suites above it. The businesssuite continues through to the ground floor of the tower here, and links upwith the main room."
"That's a lot of business suite," Arpit noted.
"Mister Jhaveri liked to conduct a lot of business here,"Anupam replied. "On the middle floor of each of the towers are largesuites, similar in size to your own. Your sisters will have them, Trisha on theright and Tamanna on the left."
"So on either side of mine then?"
"That's correct, Master Arpit.
"
"Okay," He nodded, not entirely sure what to say next. Itwas all quite overwhelming.
"That leaves the ground floor of the left tower, whichcontains a small cinema, a couple of meeting rooms and some staff facilities.The top floors of each of the towers are used to house our communicationsequipment and IT infrastructure."
"Server rooms?"
The old man shrugged. "It's a little more complicated thanthat, but in essence, yes."
"That's a lot of room."
"Yes, Master Arpit," Anupam replied. "Now, if you'llexcuse me for a few minutes I'll go and check on your suite."
As the old man disappeared into the house Arpit looked around.
"This place is stunning. How do you get any work done? I'djust be sitting looking around all day."
Shikha chuckled. "You get used to it."
Arpit smiled and walked over to the edge of the deck where itlooked over the ocean. The view was spectacular, miles and miles of oceanstretching into the distance.
"Where do you stay when you're here?"
I haveaccommodation that I share with Bina, one of the other Executive Assistants.It's just to the left as you go out the main house, but because of....everything that's going on, I'll be staying in your suite."
Arpit cocked aneyebrow at that.
"If that'sokay with you, of course?" She added. "Your suite has two en-suitebedrooms in it, as well as a dressing room, office and lounge area. Plusthere's the balcony."
"Holyshit," Arpit muttered. "It's the whole floor?"
She nodded,smiling. "Taking a bit of getting used to?"
"Yeah, youcould say that."
Ellen appearedwith the ashtray for Arpit and two large glasses of fruit juice on ice, garnishedwith straws and orange wedges on the rim of the glass. Arpit sipped at thedrink, finding it delicious and refreshing.
"Thanks, Neena,"He said as she disappeared again, pleased when she turned and smiled. Havingstaff to answer his beck and call was something that seemed really bizarre toArpit, so he was determined to know their names at the very least.
"Arpit,"Shikha said, a grin on her face.
"Yeah?"
"Her name's Meena,not Neena."
"Oh,balls." Arpit grunted. "So much for learning peoples names."
"If you wantto do that we'll get the staff to wear name badges for a while." Shesuggested.
"That'd behelpful," Arpit nodded. "I suck at remembering peoples names, but theidea of having staff is.... odd. Know what I mean?"
"As the primarymember of your personal staff the idea doesn't seem odd to me at all," Shelaughed. "Just try and relax if you can. Want to run through your schedulefor the day? There's a lot to do."
Arpit nodded andsat down at a small table outside the bar. "Go for it."
"Okay, oncewe've seen your suite we're off to see Doctor Kapoor, the Islands physician togive you a checkup and any innoculations you're behind on. If we have timeafter that we can get you in to see the Dentist too for a quick checkup. Shraddhawill want to fit you for a tailored suit and explain your wardrobe to you andthen we'll get you down to the salon for a haircut."
"It soundslike I'm on Extreme Makeover," Arpit muttered.
Shikha chuckled."It's actually all about getting you to look good for meeting yoursisters." She gave him a pointed look then added. "For the firsttime."
Arpit frowned,not needing the reminder of her unworded message. "Okay."
"I've gotabout three hours cleared for you to get some sleep, assuming you're going toneed it," Shikha continued. "Once Mister Rawal arrives then the threeof you will be in a meeting with him so that he can read you Mister Jhaveriwill, and then I've got time set aside with you to answer any questions you'llhave."
"Do you knowwhat's in it? The will, I mean."
Shikha paused,then nodded. "Yes, but I can't tell you what it says, Arpit. I'm notallowed, and anyway, it's only a few hours away."
Arpit frowned butnodded. "So what else?"
"Well,there's lunch and dinner too, and some time for you to chat with Trisha andTanmy. I can tell you that Mister Jhaveri was keen for the three of you to getto know each other, so over the next few days you'll be doing a lottogether."
"A lot ofwhat?"
"Briefings,meetings, activities, meals." Shikha shrugged. "Nothings firmed upyet for times and dates, but I'll be managing your schedule carefully to makesure you're not snowed under, okay?"
"And don'taccept any meetings myself," Arpit stated, remembering her advice.
"Correct."
As Arpit stubbedout his cigarette he caught sight of Anupam on the balcony, beckoning him up.
"Looks likeyour suite's ready," Shikha said, rising to her feet.
"Okay,"Arpit said, grabbing his glass and following her. She led him into the centralbuilding and up the stairs, back along a landing, and then he was up on thebalcony overlooking the pool.
"Oh,wow," He muttered. "It looks even better from up here."
"As I said,Master Arpit," Anupam replied. "Wait until sunset. Now, this is yoursuite."
Arpit turnedaround and looked in. The glass doors had been folded back along the entirelength of the balcony revelaing a bright, wide room. Several leather sofas sataround a huge TV on the left side of the room, and on the right sat severaldesks with computers and phones on them. The middle of the room was wide andspacious, more polished wood floors leading to a series of individual whitewalls, angled to break up the view of whatever was behind them.
"If you'llfollow me, Master Arpit."
To be continued
"Okay," He nodded, not entirely sure what to say next. Itwas all quite overwhelming.
"That leaves the ground floor of the left tower, whichcontains a small cinema, a couple of meeting rooms and some staff facilities.The top floors of each of the towers are used to house our communicationsequipment and IT infrastructure."
"Server rooms?"
The old man shrugged. "It's a little more complicated thanthat, but in essence, yes."
"That's a lot of room."
"Yes, Master Arpit," Anupam replied. "Now, if you'llexcuse me for a few minutes I'll go and check on your suite."
As the old man disappeared into the house Arpit looked around.
"This place is stunning. How do you get any work done? I'djust be sitting looking around all day."
Shikha chuckled. "You get used to it."
Arpit smiled and walked over to the edge of the deck where itlooked over the ocean. The view was spectacular, miles and miles of oceanstretching into the distance.
"Where do you stay when you're here?"
I haveaccommodation that I share with Bina, one of the other Executive Assistants.It's just to the left as you go out the main house, but because of....everything that's going on, I'll be staying in your suite."
Arpit cocked aneyebrow at that.
"If that'sokay with you, of course?" She added. "Your suite has two en-suitebedrooms in it, as well as a dressing room, office and lounge area. Plusthere's the balcony."
"Holyshit," Arpit muttered. "It's the whole floor?"
She nodded,smiling. "Taking a bit of getting used to?"
"Yeah, youcould say that."
Ellen appearedwith the ashtray for Arpit and two large glasses of fruit juice on ice, garnishedwith straws and orange wedges on the rim of the glass. Arpit sipped at thedrink, finding it delicious and refreshing.
"Thanks, Neena,"He said as she disappeared again, pleased when she turned and smiled. Havingstaff to answer his beck and call was something that seemed really bizarre toArpit, so he was determined to know their names at the very least.
"Arpit,"Shikha said, a grin on her face.
"Yeah?"
"Her name's Meena,not Neena."
"Oh,balls." Arpit grunted. "So much for learning peoples names."
"If you wantto do that we'll get the staff to wear name badges for a while." Shesuggested.
"That'd behelpful," Arpit nodded. "I suck at remembering peoples names, but theidea of having staff is.... odd. Know what I mean?"
"As the primarymember of your personal staff the idea doesn't seem odd to me at all," Shelaughed. "Just try and relax if you can. Want to run through your schedulefor the day? There's a lot to do."
Arpit nodded andsat down at a small table outside the bar. "Go for it."
"Okay, oncewe've seen your suite we're off to see Doctor Kapoor, the Islands physician togive you a checkup and any innoculations you're behind on. If we have timeafter that we can get you in to see the Dentist too for a quick checkup. Shraddhawill want to fit you for a tailored suit and explain your wardrobe to you andthen we'll get you down to the salon for a haircut."
"It soundslike I'm on Extreme Makeover," Arpit muttered.
Shikha chuckled."It's actually all about getting you to look good for meeting yoursisters." She gave him a pointed look then added. "For the firsttime."
Arpit frowned,not needing the reminder of her unworded message. "Okay."
"I've gotabout three hours cleared for you to get some sleep, assuming you're going toneed it," Shikha continued. "Once Mister Rawal arrives then the threeof you will be in a meeting with him so that he can read you Mister Jhaveriwill, and then I've got time set aside with you to answer any questions you'llhave."
"Do you knowwhat's in it? The will, I mean."
Shikha paused,then nodded. "Yes, but I can't tell you what it says, Arpit. I'm notallowed, and anyway, it's only a few hours away."
Arpit frowned butnodded. "So what else?"
"Well,there's lunch and dinner too, and some time for you to chat with Trisha andTanmy. I can tell you that Mister Jhaveri was keen for the three of you to getto know each other, so over the next few days you'll be doing a lottogether."
"A lot ofwhat?"
"Briefings,meetings, activities, meals." Shikha shrugged. "Nothings firmed upyet for times and dates, but I'll be managing your schedule carefully to makesure you're not snowed under, okay?"
"And don'taccept any meetings myself," Arpit stated, remembering her advice.
"Correct."
As Arpit stubbedout his cigarette he caught sight of Anupam on the balcony, beckoning him up.
"Looks likeyour suite's ready," Shikha said, rising to her feet.
"Okay,"Arpit said, grabbing his glass and following her. She led him into the centralbuilding and up the stairs, back along a landing, and then he was up on thebalcony overlooking the pool.
"Oh,wow," He muttered. "It looks even better from up here."
"As I said,Master Arpit," Anupam replied. "Wait until sunset. Now, this is yoursuite."
Arpit turnedaround and looked in. The glass doors had been folded back along the entirelength of the balcony revelaing a bright, wide room. Several leather sofas sataround a huge TV on the left side of the room, and on the right sat severaldesks with computers and phones on them. The middle of the room was wide andspacious, more polished wood floors leading to a series of individual whitewalls, angled to break up the view of whatever was behind them.
"If you'llfollow me, Master Arpit."
To be continued