you want me to get in touch with you directly?' she pointed to his visiting card and asked.
'Yes. Is that a problem?' he held her eyes with his and asked.
'No, of course not. Just that-your assistant and secretary said you were pretty much booked for life, so ...'
'Call me, Ms Sen. I'll remember you.'
She almost fainted when she felt the touch of his hand on hers. A handshake had never felt so heavenly.
It is amazing how a person's talent surfaces, when properly motivated. The drive to impress often yields unmatchable outputs.
ili, you won't believe this,' Shambhavi shrieked, as soon as she saw her friend, partially hidden by the stained glass partition in her office. She walked happily towards her friend, who looked like she could faint any second.
'Shambhavi? What are you doing here?' Mili whispered loudly in return.
'As of now-walking towards you. Duh.'
'But why?'
'Because it would not be appropriate if I keep shouting from the other end of your office, would it?' Shambhavi replied. She looked around herself and motioned to the employees at their desks, in tiny cubicles and said, 'People are working here. I don't want to disturb anyone.'
'Shut up. You know what I mean. Why are you here?' Mili asked.
'I had something exciting to tell you.'
'Can't it wait till I get out of office? It's just a few hours.'
'Why do you worry so much? Your boss will not eat you up and swallow you whole if she found you talking to me for a few minutes, you know?' Shambhavi teased. She knew Mili took her work seriously-a bit too seriously-and she enjoyed having fun at her expense.
'She might; you don't know her. Now tell me quickly what it is and leave.'
'Never mind. It's not important. It can wait.'
'No. Tell me,' Mili exclaimed, and held Shambhavi's arm to stop her from leaving. The fact that Shambhavi came to her office to tell her something'exciting' had definitely piqued her interest in the whole thing, even though she was still worried about her boss.
'Okay,' Shambhavi jumped back on the horse immediately. 'Get this-I went to Datta Enterprises today to meet Mr Datta. And guess what I found out?'
'No idea.'
'Mr Datta is not an old man. He's twenty-nine, and totally gorgeous. I first thought that he was the son of the man who started the company. But I was wrong. Tutul told me later that he started the company, not his father. It has been just twelve years, and by everything I heard about DE, I had assumed that it must have taken them several decades to get there. But nope. Just twelve years. The man is a total legend.'
'Wait-I'm confused-are you gushing about this Datta guy as an entrepreneur or a man?' Mili interrupted.
'Both. More as a man, though. You should see him-he's so ... perfect. Though, he looks older than he is. Mature. Maybe because he has seen so much in his life-death of his parents as a teenager, poverty, starvation, betrayal. I think that's why he's so ruthless.'
'Betrayal? What do you mean?'
'I don't know much, but I heard a girl broke his heart. She was there when he first started out; they were close. And she left him for someone else, or something like that,' Shambhavi said. 'But whatever. The point is that ... he is something out of this world. Nothing like anything I have ever seen before.'
'Aah! Shambhavi Sen has fallen for a guy. This should be interesting to see.'
'Shut up. I have not fallen for him or anything. I just ... like him.'
'That's the first step. Wow. I can't believe this. Finally,' Mili said, grinning from ear to ear.
'It is going to be a one-sided attraction, Mili. He did not even look at me properly, you know? Why would he? I look like a toad in front of him. He's handsome. I'm ugly'
'You're not ugly.'
'Compared to him, I am,' Shambhavi said sadly.
'Really? I would like to see,' Mili said and they both rushed to Google images of the man. 'What's his first name?'
'I don't know,' Shambhavi said.
Mili rolled her eyes and typed 'mr Datta owner Datta enterprises' in
'Yes. Is that a problem?' he held her eyes with his and asked.
'No, of course not. Just that-your assistant and secretary said you were pretty much booked for life, so ...'
'Call me, Ms Sen. I'll remember you.'
She almost fainted when she felt the touch of his hand on hers. A handshake had never felt so heavenly.
It is amazing how a person's talent surfaces, when properly motivated. The drive to impress often yields unmatchable outputs.
ili, you won't believe this,' Shambhavi shrieked, as soon as she saw her friend, partially hidden by the stained glass partition in her office. She walked happily towards her friend, who looked like she could faint any second.
'Shambhavi? What are you doing here?' Mili whispered loudly in return.
'As of now-walking towards you. Duh.'
'But why?'
'Because it would not be appropriate if I keep shouting from the other end of your office, would it?' Shambhavi replied. She looked around herself and motioned to the employees at their desks, in tiny cubicles and said, 'People are working here. I don't want to disturb anyone.'
'Shut up. You know what I mean. Why are you here?' Mili asked.
'I had something exciting to tell you.'
'Can't it wait till I get out of office? It's just a few hours.'
'Why do you worry so much? Your boss will not eat you up and swallow you whole if she found you talking to me for a few minutes, you know?' Shambhavi teased. She knew Mili took her work seriously-a bit too seriously-and she enjoyed having fun at her expense.
'She might; you don't know her. Now tell me quickly what it is and leave.'
'Never mind. It's not important. It can wait.'
'No. Tell me,' Mili exclaimed, and held Shambhavi's arm to stop her from leaving. The fact that Shambhavi came to her office to tell her something'exciting' had definitely piqued her interest in the whole thing, even though she was still worried about her boss.
'Okay,' Shambhavi jumped back on the horse immediately. 'Get this-I went to Datta Enterprises today to meet Mr Datta. And guess what I found out?'
'No idea.'
'Mr Datta is not an old man. He's twenty-nine, and totally gorgeous. I first thought that he was the son of the man who started the company. But I was wrong. Tutul told me later that he started the company, not his father. It has been just twelve years, and by everything I heard about DE, I had assumed that it must have taken them several decades to get there. But nope. Just twelve years. The man is a total legend.'
'Wait-I'm confused-are you gushing about this Datta guy as an entrepreneur or a man?' Mili interrupted.
'Both. More as a man, though. You should see him-he's so ... perfect. Though, he looks older than he is. Mature. Maybe because he has seen so much in his life-death of his parents as a teenager, poverty, starvation, betrayal. I think that's why he's so ruthless.'
'Betrayal? What do you mean?'
'I don't know much, but I heard a girl broke his heart. She was there when he first started out; they were close. And she left him for someone else, or something like that,' Shambhavi said. 'But whatever. The point is that ... he is something out of this world. Nothing like anything I have ever seen before.'
'Aah! Shambhavi Sen has fallen for a guy. This should be interesting to see.'
'Shut up. I have not fallen for him or anything. I just ... like him.'
'That's the first step. Wow. I can't believe this. Finally,' Mili said, grinning from ear to ear.
'It is going to be a one-sided attraction, Mili. He did not even look at me properly, you know? Why would he? I look like a toad in front of him. He's handsome. I'm ugly'
'You're not ugly.'
'Compared to him, I am,' Shambhavi said sadly.
'Really? I would like to see,' Mili said and they both rushed to Google images of the man. 'What's his first name?'
'I don't know,' Shambhavi said.
Mili rolled her eyes and typed 'mr Datta owner Datta enterprises' in
Similar Books
The Remarkables (The Remarkable Owen Johnson, part 1)
A. D. Elliott
Weird But True
Leslie Gilbert Elman
The Hunger
Janet Eckford
A Wild Swan
Michael Cunningham
Exist (Vampire Assassin League Book 30)
Jackie Ivie
Chocolate-Covered Crime
Cynthia Hickey
Hard Evidence
Roxanne Rustand
David Lodge - Small World
Author's Note
William Monk 13 - Death of a Stranger
Anne Perry