MBA for the Mafia Read online

The After Party

  Nakul was still very drunk when he got into the taxi but he was fixated on the discovery of the evening. Their new friend, Raju the Pencil Nose, had said that he had stake in a company. The company that he referred to was the one that Nakul worked for. Did he already know that Nakul worked for this company? He did look at Nakul for a reaction when he said PanAsia. And he did have those 2 bohemian guys follow him everywhere he went.

  As Nakul got off the taxi he realized that he was tired and drunk from spending too much time in Colaba. Right now he wanted to lay down and sleep his head off.

  In a distance, he saw Aisha get off a taxi. She could easily pass off as a model, with her wine glass silhouette and a divine face, and no, Nakul knew his beer goggles weren’t the ones heaving this opinion on him. He knew he didn’t have any inhibitions this evening and he didn’t think he was sleepy anymore. Now all he wanted was some lift time with the damsel.

  “Hi” said Nakul as he got into the lift.

  “Hi”

  “Been quite some time”

  “Sorry?”

  “I mean, since we had some lift time together,” said Nakul as he became aware of an overwhelming need to flirt tonight.

  “oh haha, yes…” said Aisha, turning a bit in the other direction.

  “Ah, sorry I must be smelling, had been out for a … ah… a corporate party”

  “Are you always so insecure about being drunk?” asked Aisha.

  Nakul's ego was struck down like a fly slammed hard by a chameleon's tongue.

  “No am just being a gentleman,” said Nakul somewhat angrily.

  Aisha giggled.

  Nakul put his hand across the lift as he smiled, looking directly in her eyes, a reflex action of sorts perhaps indicating that his body’s horny chemicals had been activated and were prepared to perform any mating ritual that he could conjure off the scenes from the discovery channel.

  But maybe this was not appropriate.

  He anyways gave in and said something that he knew would roll of his tongue as easily as he was thinking it:

  “You know we both have possibly had a rough week and there nothing more that we want but to relax a while but I just can't help but ask you if you would care to come over for some coffee or tea.”

  “Haa? You know it’s embarrassing to say this…but I hardly even remember your name,” said Aisha.

  “Huh?” said Nakul, “Well I won’t feel offended if we can take that matter up over a small cup of coffee, just an option I want you to consider if you have some minutes to spare.”

  “Ok, let’s have coffee,” said Aisha with a gleam in her eyes.

  “Can I make you chai instead? Actually I don’t know if I have any coffee,” smiled Nakul.

  “Do you have a beer, by any chance?” smiled Aisha.

  Nakul put on some soft jazz once they were inside the apartment. He saw clearly for the first time what Aisha had been wearing.

  “You know that skirt always looks so nice on you,” he said half dreamily.

  “Hahaha,” laughed Aisha.

  “Anyways, you can let me know if I am being too weird, ok, please?”

  “Ok”

  “Do you like Clapton?” said Nakul.

  “I loved him 20 years ago”

  “I thought you were just 18” said Nakul as he brought the stereo system to life with ‘Wonderful Tonight.’

  “Hahaha”

  “No I am a bit older than that,” said Aisha.

  “Just making sure in case this evening turns into an adventurous one…” risked Nakul.

  “What do you mean,” frowned Aisha.

  “I didn't mean it the way it sounded...” Nakul was horrified.

  “Ya? Be honest do you have something against girls who like to party once in a while? You think they are always looking for adventures?” asked Aisha. Nakul could see her turning a bit red in the cheeks.

  “Aisha I think you’ve caught the wrong drift of what I said, I requested you to come over from the perspective of someone who would like a good conversation. To be honest, I’ve had a few beers tonight….do you mind if I get you your beer please?” Nakul cut himself short.

  “Hahaha,” laughed Aisha as Nakul loosened up again. He realized he was looking at her lips that were just a few inches away. He bent over slightly, touched her lips with his, and had a fleeting notion of recoiling away. His lips quivered too but he knew that she knew how much he wanted to kiss her. Nakul eased his hand around her waist, and then stood up to head for the fridge.

  Their fingers touched as he handed her the beer.

  Aisha was already swaying to Harrison’s guitar on “Something.”

  She wore heels and had had her toes painted a hue of blue with a garnish of glossy spots here and there.

  “I had wanted to have my tresses done in alternate colors as well,” Aisha had obviously observed Nakul look at her legs.

  “Ya, am sure you have to stop trying to look beautiful, you are already are a scream”

  “Ha?”

  “Scream, you know. I meant you are anyways really...you know..that’s an expression I caught when I was in London.”

  “What do you think of the British?” asked Aisha.

  “I think they are clever bastards,” said Nakul.

  “So they are, they ruled us for a couple of generations.”

  “But they are just the same as us…pursuing happiness in all forms”

  “You think we are as free as them to pursue our happiness…I mean, here, in India?”

  Nakul paused and tried not to slur, “You know for centuries we've been adding stuff from other cultures while keeping our values intact, I think this time we are going to fail miserably”

  “You know I think you are right,” agreed Aisha.

  Nakul realized he was sitting next to her and her shoulder touched against his arm whenever she took a sip off her bottle.

  “I don’t really know how we define our values anymore,” she said at length.

  “You know only love is real, that’s the basis of all values,” said Nakul.

  “Hmmm...” said Aisha, visibly thoughtful. “Can I take my shoes off, I have been wearing them the whole day.”

  “Y..y..yes, of course,” gulped Nakul.

  As Aisha slid out of her heels, Nakul sipped his beer, trying to look as sober as he possibly could...there’s no charm in having a lady in the company of an uncouth. The saxophone from “Careless Whispers” was now blaring from the Stereo and Nakul felt like whispering careless thoughts of his own to Aisha.

  As she bent to keep the shoes on one side, Nakul took one of her hands and pulled her slightly towards himself. He had waited a long time for the second kiss. He kissed the top of her upper lip this time and then the inside of her lower lip then lingered on, kissing her softly all this while. He felt his hand run down the back of her hips. He hadn't felt this alive in months. He kissed the nape of her neck as she held on to his arms. Nakul let go of inhibitions, helped hugely by all the alcohol from the combined courtesy of Neel’s Friday initiative and Raju the Pencil Nose. While he was mindful of his drunken state, the awareness of this crushing need to kiss her soft skin and to hold her, overwhelmed him. He was now kissing her in sweet, soft and short bursts while holding her close. He felt good and he forgot he was otherwise miserably sad. Tonight all the right elements had taken over. Nakul felt as if the stars and the cosmos had a far smaller role to play in tuning a man's happiness than love, the passion of a saxophone and well, some alcohol.

  “Hey, I don’t know your name yet,” said Aisha, softly.

  “Nakul.”

  “That’s…kind of a… unique name.”