Falling For A Bollywood Legend

CHAPTER TWO

NINA LAY AWAKE fretfully going over the day’s events. She knew she should handle this turn of events in a mature fashion but a part of her was worried if she would come out of it unscathed. The first time she’d been close to Aadith had been bad enough. The whole incident had made her feel gauche and stupid. She definitely didn’t want an encore. It had only served to make her very wary about men. For a long time she had not been able to get her nerve up to actually have a relationship. It had taken a lot of prodding from her friends to get her back into the dating scene. She couldn’t say she had been a roaring success even then. Having been determined to get to the top of her career, she had let work take precedence. Her only previous relationship had been half hearted and blessedly short, she thought ruefully.

Nina was determined to keep things strictly professional with Aadith, not that he would be interested in anything else, she mused wryly as she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

As soon as Nina got to work the next day, she took stock of all the work she would have to delegate to others if she had to make time for Aadith. She did some serious juggling around to free herself enough to take on the new workload. She retained Gaurav Tiwary’s account since it was a relatively new one and needed her expert attention.

Since that day so long ago she’d developed a defense mechanism to ignore everything but the barest minimum news about Aadith, so she knew she had to get herself up to date about his entire media history. She set to work on it briskly. It had been a long time since she had let herself take in news of him and as she did so she found herself perplexed by the sheer number of women he seemed to run through. The Aadith she’d known had had a lot of girlfriends but nothing like this. Now the women never seemed to last more than a month. She wondered if the industry he worked in had changed him so.

Nina gathered from Aadith’s personal assistant that he was reshooting a couple of scenes to finish his current movie. She arranged with him to pencil her in for lunch with Aadith at the studio. Having visited various studios occasionally, to meet with clients or to be with them during interviews, she was familiar with the frantic chaos that was the norm on movie sets.

As she gracefully walked across the set later on that day, she garnered more than her fair share of attention. Her shiny coal-black hair was pulled back into an austere ponytail. On another woman it might have made her look severe, but on Nina it only served to draw attention to her big brown eyes. A pert nose and luscious lips completed a startlingly pretty face. In a white button-down shirt and slim-fitting grey trousers she stood out from everyone on the sets, who were all dressed rather casually.

Merely watching Nina walk towards him dressed primly with just her lips painted a sultry shade of red sent a sizzle of awareness coursing through Aadith. He’d never thought formal clothes could look so sexy on anyone but the way those pants hugged her derriere made his mouth run dry.

‘I’m running late. Can you hang around until I finish this?’ he asked, striving for a steady tone.

The movie was an elaborate period drama and Aadith was in his costume. An Indian prince … Clad in rich, bejewelled robes that faithfully outlined his wide shoulders, powerful chest and long legs, he simply looked magnificent.

Nina felt breathless just looking at him. ‘If it won’t take too long I can,’ she muttered and discreetly parked herself out of his line of vision and watched him.

It seemed to be a scene where Aadith came to know that someone had betrayed him and he had a war of words with them. He was utterly ruthless and emanated an aura of power that surrounded him like an invisible cloak. He looked dangerous and predatory, she thought warily with a slight shiver.

Nina had never watched any of his movies so watching him perform was spellbinding. He totally captured her attention, leaving the others in the scene fading into the background. Her eyes didn’t leave him the whole time.

It was another half-hour before the director called it a day. By then adrenaline pumped through him. He’d been constantly aware of Nina and to have her watch him with such rapt attention had given him a serious high. He hadn’t been able to stop himself from showing off for her. He excused himself and headed to his vanity van to change into his street clothes. He was in a hurry to join her.

‘I bet even his dentist is a pretty young thing,’ drawled an indolent voice behind her. Nina turned around to see the director, Vinay Parek, grinning at her.

‘Trust Aadith to end up with the most beautiful woman in the business to work with!’ he exclaimed enviously. Nina smiled slightly at his compliment and extended her hand to introduce herself.

He shook her hand and said, ‘I know who you are. As you know news travels fast in the industry and there is no such thing as a secret.’

Was there a warning couched in his statement? wondered Nina as she swiftly changed the topic.

‘I rarely watch movies but I enjoyed your last one. It was refreshingly honest.’ Vinay’s eyes lit up instantly. She couldn’t have chosen a better topic to keep him engaged.

‘So why did you choose Aadith for this role knowing his reputation was directly contradictory to the character he would be playing?’ queried Nina curiously.

‘We’ve been friends since our film-school days and it was he who offered to finance the movie when I was desperately in search of a producer. Besides which I think he’s insanely talented and can pull off any role convincingly,’ he said, staunchly loyal.

After watching his performance today she could well believe it, thought Nina.

‘Not to forget the added advantage of comforting the women who fail to capture his attention,’ he said, wiggling his eyebrows comically and grinning from ear to ear.

Nina burst out laughing. For someone with a hat-trick of successful films behind him, Vinay was surprisingly unpretentious.

Aadith frowned in annoyance when he caught sight of Nina and Vinay laughing together. They appeared to be remarkably intimate for virtual strangers, he thought disapprovingly. She had never spared so much as a smile for him and now here she was cosily chatting up his friend. Aadith didn’t stop to consider his next move.

He strode swiftly towards Nina and slipped an arm around her waist. She almost yelped in surprise.

Her heart began to hammer furiously. Being so close to him, she couldn’t help but breathe in the clean scent of him. His hair was still damp from the shower and his warm male scent completely enveloped and intoxicated her.

‘I see you’ve met Nina. She’s an old friend of mine,’ said Aadith, smiling fondly at her.

Vinay’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Oh. I didn’t know you two knew each other before.’

‘Well, we were neighbours for a while,’ interrupted Nina chillingly.

But Aadith was not to be deterred. ‘And after all these years she’s back in my life again,’ he declared, looking at her as if he couldn’t believe she was there with him.

‘I’ve already kept her waiting far too long so we’ll head for lunch,’ he said, dragging Nina away before she could do more than wave goodbye at Vinay.

‘How long are you going to keep using the stale we’re-old-friends line?’ demanded Nina hotly as he steered her towards his car. ‘We were no better friends then than we are now.’

Gesturing to his chauffeur for the keys, he opened the door of a sleek sports car for her. Nina winced inwardly. Being close to him was bad enough but in a tiny, enclosed space it would be sheer torture.

His eyes glittered as he turned towards her and said tersely, ‘I was merely looking out for you. If we let it be known that we are old-time friends, the press would make less of it if they happen to see us together,’ he finished coldly.

Nina snorted derisively. ‘Rather they will just add me to the long line of your just-good-friends list.’

Aadith laughed shortly and muttered, ‘You don’t give an inch, do you?’ Nina shrugged and chose to leave it at that. There was an uneasy silence between them.

Nina looked at his long and elegant fingers resting casually against the steering wheel. She could not help but wonder how they would feel against her hot skin. She fought against her wayward thoughts and looked up to see him watching her intently. She coloured instantly and could not have broken away from his gaze if her life depended on it. Her pulse started drumming and her mouth ran dry. Nina parted her lips slightly to run her tongue lightly over her lips.

Aadith drew in a sharp breath. His gaze fastened hungrily on her moist, parted lips. His body was throbbing with desire. Had they been anywhere else but in a car, in the middle of the road, nothing would have prevented him from hauling her firmly against him and pressing his lips against hers. Her heart lurched when she saw him staring at her with a burning intensity that sent molten heat coursing through her veins.

A blaring horn from the car behind broke the moment and Nina hastily looked out of the window. In no time Aadith manoeuvred his car into the compound of an exclusive restaurant renowned for its discretion. Nina couldn’t help wondering how many other women he had taken there previously.

The maître d’ escorted them to an intimate table set for two in the far corner of the room.

Hoping to put things back on a more professional note, Nina started off by enquiring, ‘What exactly are you expecting out of this current assignment?’

‘My soon-to-be-released movie is a period film in which the hero is a die-hard romantic who wouldn’t hesitate to give up his life for the woman he loves. An until-death-do-us-part sort of romance. With my current image people are going to find it tough to accept me in that sort of role. Moreover, since I’m also co-producing the movie I have a lot riding on it,’ stated Aadith simply.

‘When is the movie due to be released?’

‘For Diwali,’ replied Aadith.

‘That doesn’t leave us with a lot of time,’ muttered Nina thoughtfully. She didn’t waste much time before she started elaborating the plans she had thought of earlier.

‘Since it’s a love story and everyone loves a happy ending I thought we could organise a contest where people from all over the country could write to you about how much they love that special someone in their life. The best couple of entries could be chosen and you could help the winners plan and execute the perfect way to show their love. After which some well-placed articles and photos of you in romantic locations with the happy couple, and quotes about you longing to find your very own happily ever after, could go a long way to restoring your romantic-hero image,’ finished Nina excitedly.

‘Only you’d have to stay clear of trouble until you lose your notoriety,’ she offered as an afterthought.

‘You mean I can’t indulge in drunken orgies and loud parties any more? How am I ever going to get through these two months?’ he moaned with a straight face.

She stared at him, mouth agape, wondering if he actually meant it. She was for once lost for words.

‘Maybe you’d take pity on me and help me?’ he suggested, arching his brows and leering at her.

Nina burst into laughter. She knew he had a wicked sense of humour and she had fallen right into his trap.

‘You creep,’ she scolded laughingly.

It was Aadith’s turn to stare. The sight of her laughing unselfconsciously with her head thrown back mesmerised him. She seemed so alive, he mused. Their eyes locked and the air suddenly turned thick with tension.

When a sexy female voice called out Aadith’s name, it was as if she had been doused in a bucket of cold water. The owner of the voice was a stunning willowy young socialite and she promptly draped herself over him when he rose to greet her.

‘Aadith, darling! I truly missed you at the party last night. Why didn’t you come?’ she asked as she cast a dismissive glance in Nina’s direction.

The woman looked as if she had stepped right out of the pages of Vogue and Nina’s own business attire placed her well below the socialite’s orbit of competition, thought Nina ruefully. Though why should she want to be considered a threat to Aadith’s attention? she wondered in surprise.

‘I’ve been a bit busy and no doubt there were a dozen other men vying for your attention,’ he returned suavely.

The girl pouted prettily at his backhanded compliment and murmured throatily, ‘Oh, no, you know that’s not true.’

Nina felt her heart crashing painfully in her ribs when Aadith put a protective hand in the small of the woman’s back to turn her towards Nina.

‘Meet Nina Shah, my publicist,’ he said, gesturing towards Nina, and then added, ‘And this is Sanjana Gill, a friend.’

Both women merely nodded at each other and smiled briefly. Nina couldn’t bear to look at the pair of them. The way the other woman was looking at him adoringly sickened her. One minute Aadith looked at her, Nina, as if he wanted to devour her and the next he was paying court to some coquettish female smiling up coyly at him. She felt disgusted.

The second the other girl was out of earshot Nina snapped, ‘How convenient … This time you didn’t bother to mention that we were old friends and not just business acquaintances.’

Aadith’s face darkened in response as he retorted curtly, ‘You can’t have it both ways, Nina. Either you accept that we do know each other and have a shared past, lousy as it may be, or choose to ignore it completely. I will not tiptoe around you trying not to hurt your sensibilities. What happened between us is in the past and I suggest we leave it right there and move on.’

‘No doubt it’s easy for you to forget the past. I must have been one of simply hundreds of women you have kissed and then discarded without a second thought,’ she accused, furious that he would even dare to mention it when his behaviour had been so despicable.

‘I seem to remember a different version of it. It was you who threw yourself at me and you who refused to speak to me after I declined to take advantage of your innocence. I certainly don’t understand how you became the aggrieved party here,’ Aadith bit out.

‘If you think I’m still the same gullible idiot I was then, you’re sadly mistaken. You couldn’t wait to share my folly with all your friends, could you? Made you feel like a hot stud, did it?’ asked Nina pointedly.

Aadith was enraged. He couldn’t believe she thought so cheaply of him. He had chalked her reluctance to work with him to that one disastrous evening long ago. He’d never imagined she carried a deeper grudge against him over an imagined slight.

‘I don’t know where you got the idea that I shared it with my friends. I’ve never had the need to kiss and tell. Ever. Not then and not now,’ he growled.

Nina felt bewildered. There was a sincerity in his words that rang true. She could not bring herself to ignore the truth in his words. He had been a popular boy even then, while she had just been a nobody. A boast involving her would hardly have raised his reputation.

God, this was so confusing, she thought desperately.

But Aadith was not done yet. ‘Why would you think that I had told my friends about you?’

Nina cringed inwardly and wished she had not started talking about the past. Going through it had been humiliating enough but talking about it and finding out that she had been even more of a fool than she had thought was excruciating.

‘Your then girlfriend, Monica, told me you’d all had a good laugh about it,’ said Nina quietly. All the rage she’d carried about Aadith’s behaviour in the past now seemed pointless.

‘Monica?’ exclaimed Aadith in disgust. ‘Just to be clear about this, she didn’t become my girlfriend until much later—after I left Pune, in fact. We were just hanging around then. Although now, I can see all too clearly why she would have played such a dirty trick on you—she could be pretty vile sometimes.’

Monica was a mistake he sorely regretted. The only good thing to come out of that relationship was he’d learned exactly how much to trust a woman. Not at all. What Nina said just now reinforced it all over again.

‘A young, gamine girl whom I’d previously only thought of as my friend’s kid sister started drawing my attention. She must have caught my interest in you and decided to protect her “future”, as she called me then,’ said Aadith, looking at her sincerely.

‘Monica spelled trouble from the word go but I didn’t realise it until it was too late. This is just one more in her long list of transgressions.’

Nina coloured at his frank statement of interest in her and lowered her eyes shyly. To know that she had captured his attention then was like an aphrodisiac to her. Her heart started thumping madly in her chest. She felt herself melting under his hot gaze.

‘Nina, look at me,’ commanded Aadith softly.

When she raised her eyes to him, all the hostility she’d harboured against him was gone. There was only a soft vulnerability in them. Aadith felt a strange protectiveness take hold of him.

Desire and attraction he could easily handle, but this new, softer emotion was gripping in its intensity. He didn’t want to feel anything more for her than affection. Anything more spelled trouble, he thought in alarm.

‘Let’s start over. I’m sorry I hurt you unintentionally. It would be better if we forget the past ever happened. I would like us to be friends first …’ Aadith entreated.

Nina acquiesced and replied, ‘I would like that too.’

Though she couldn’t help wondering about his unfinished sentence. Friends first …? Then what? Did it mean he wanted to move beyond friendship? Did he feel the same unrelenting pull that she did?

Nina shook her head tiredly. It was too much to ponder about, after the roller coaster of emotions she’d experienced over the past two days. When the waiter chose that precise moment to present their bill she was relieved.

‘I’ll get to work on the campaign and meanwhile please clear your schedule for at least a week or so at the end of the month for it. I suspect it is going to be a tight run to get it all done in time.’

‘I have no doubt you’ll pull it off,’ assured Aadith firmly.

Nina asked to be dropped off at the office. She thought a bit of work would help to keep her mind off him.

‘Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything,’ instructed Aadith as he waited for her to gather her handbag.

‘Even if I’m going to interrupt an evening with your darling Sanjana?’ queried Nina impishly.

‘I’ll definitely take a rain check on her if it is for you …’ he said breezily and left in a quick spin of his car.

Nina’s laughter died on her lips. She had asked for it, she thought miserably. Just because he had been interested in her a long time ago didn’t mean he was now. And even if he was, his reply just now had made it abundantly clear that she would be one among the many girls he dated. There would always be someone eager to take her place, she thought sourly.

Nina felt oddly unsettled for the rest of the day. It was bad enough he made her feel things she’d never felt before, but even worse was the fact that he made her look back into her past, a place she’d never had happy memories about.

She could still remember the day Aadith had come into her life. With working parents who’d had little time to spare, she had vied with her brother for their attention. But for them she had always been an afterthought, an extra after their perfect male child, ignored for the most part.

That was when Aadith had entered her life and occupied her every waking thought for the four years they had been neighbours, thought Nina morosely. She smiled to herself as she thought back to that time. She had been a total wannabe then, with her shortly cropped hair, tattered jeans and ratty tees.

Being the same age as her brother, Aadith had quickly befriended him and hung around the house frequently. He’d often teased her about her weird assortment of friends all going through various stages of rebellion. For someone as starved for love as she had been then, the little attention that Aadith had thrown her way had proven to be her downfall. She’d developed a massive crush on him.

Well, she certainly knew how that had ended, thought Nina sadly. He was even more popular and handsome now than he had been before and she was still the same inexperienced, albeit better looking than before, normal girl next door.

The ending looked decidedly predictable. Unless she kept her head and her heart safe she was going to end up seriously hurt again, thought Nina resolutely.

CHAPTER THREE

THE FOLLOWING DAYS were a whirlwind. The ‘Wishing Star’ contest was heavily publicised along with the movie. With the weight of a major production house behind it no expense was spared to promote the picture. Hoardings, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, Internet, every media tool was used to capture the public’s attention. It soon became the talk of the town. Entries flew in from all over the country. Young and old alike wrote in and it soon became a very difficult task just to choose a few out of the multitude of responses. The contest had captured the nation’s imagination and they were now eagerly anticipating the movie as well as the contest results.

Nina spoke to Aadith on and off to keep him updated about the progress of the various promotional activities they had undertaken. Both of them kept their conversations brief and professional. As the star of the movie as well as the co-producer he had a lot on his plate trying to keep an eye on the post-production activities and fulfil his promotional obligations. There didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day for him to catch up with all that needed to be done, yet at odd times he found himself wanting to see Nina again. Deciding to pay her a visit, he rang her office and was informed by Mrs Dutta that she would be working late with her team.