Spice and Secrets Read Online Free PDF

perfectly okay as long as he wasn’t in earshot? Rahul stepped forward, fists rising up. “ Mardho ka shakal ka niche janwar jaise mentality. You’re animals.”
    “Rahul, yaar … chhoro .” Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder. Firm. Steadying. “They’re not worth it. Let them be.” Sam Khanna, currently one of the closest things he had to a best mate, tugged him back toward the booth where his things still lay spread out on the table. “Think of your reputation, your bloody izzat . Don’t make a scene.”
    It was absurd, really, considering that just a few months ago the shoe had been firmly on the other foot: him trying to keep Sam cool lest he fly off the handle and ruin his career.
    “Priya will not be on anyone’s couch. She’s got a full slate. Tension maat karna .” Sam was still making soothing gestures as they each took their seats. “Soon she’ll be dueting with Ashraf and ten other heroes. No second-rate little shit will dare try pulling any haraami .”
    Rahul stared at Sam, unblinking. “What do you mean dueting ?” Did his voice sound calm? Or was it coiled like a whip, ready to be unleashed? Suddenly foreign to his own ears, he couldn’t tell.
    Sam didn’t seem to care either way. He leaned back against the booth, taking a measured sip of the club soda that a ninja-like waiter had materialized with. “I meant exactly what it sounds like, yaar . I just got on the new Kuku Kapoor picture, and Priya’s essaying the role of Ashraf’s girlfriend. The bad girl. The khalnaika .” Sam wiggled his eyebrows lewdly. “It’s one of those dark, sexy dramas. Very sexy.”
    “Ashraf Khan?” He didn’t know why he was looking for confirmation. There was only one Ashraf amongst the roster of new young heroes. One Ashraf, who was guaranteed to have a romantic bed scene in every film. It was his particular talent: doing what few other heroes would. And, in this instance, he would be reveling in that talent with Priya.
    “Rahul, man, is the vein in your forehead supposed to bulge like that?”
    “Sod off.” It was a useless insult to someone who did sod off on a regular basis, so he followed that up with something more choice, more anatomically impossible.
    Sam only laughed, toasting him with his glass. “If you hate the idea so much, maybe you should take the role. Phir hero banja . See if your acting muscles have rusted. Not to mention your zipper.”
    On one level, Rahul registered the joke. On every other, it was a sudden stroke of genius. A brilliant idea. Maybe you should take the role. Work with Priya again. Take on the role of her boyfriend. Hadn’t he, above anyone else, already practiced for that part? He picked up his BlackBerry from where it had lain silent on the tabletop and thumbed through his address book. Kapoor, Kuku. It was a Delhi number, and it began ringing almost instantly.
    “Hello, KK? Rahul Anand here.” Sam’s jaw dropped, and choice words began to fall from his lips. But Rahul tuned them out. “How would you like to host my return to the big screen?” After Kuku’s ecstatic whoop and a promise of details to come, he disconnected the call and leveled Sam with an arch look. “Done.”
    “You’re totally mad, you know? This is completely insane for your career and your personal life. And Priya’s not going to like this one bit.” Sam was so amused it made him look almost beautiful. No doubt he was always beautiful to Vikram. Because that was love. That was devotion. And it was obsession also.
    “I don’t give a damn what she likes. This is what I want.” Rahul had played by her rules for too long. Six years ago, he’d let Priya run from him. Now…now he was finally giving chase.
     
     
    Priya set her land phone back in its cradle, frowning at it as though it, and not the caller, had done her an offense. She’d had a meeting with a comedy director scheduled for next week, but her assistant had called saying she was no longer needed for the role.