Page 83 of Made in Mumbai

“Yes, my sharp-as-tack kisser.”

He blushed before his chest inflated. “Yourkisser?” He flirted.

“Aren’t you?” She flirted back, now in her Maya-element of making grown men blush. “Where else can you kiss like that?”

“Come up to my office and I’ll show you,” he challenged.

“And what about all that glass?”

“We can use that too.”

“Hmm?”

“Hmm.”

She leaned closer, meeting him over the gear console.

“I can’t wait to be between that cold glass and your hot body,” she whispered in his ear. The image that conjured made him literally hot all over, not to mention the soft kiss she pasted behind his ear before ducking out of the car. Gautam exhaled. He wanted to wait to see if she went in but her hand gestured vigorously for him to go. So he drove, praying that by the time he entered his office, his colour would be down.

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Workload was heavy. His table was full from yesterday’s disappearing act. The spices business was taking off. He had to allocate a small office space for it in this property and hire 2-3 people to start off. He had all this on his mind, and then Leo called.

“Yes?” He answered, ticking things off on the list of spices he was sourcing from Thekkady.

“Hello, sir? I was sitting with Trisha and… Maya and everyone. For Diwali.”

“What about it?” Gautam pulled out his cost sheet, going down it as Leo yapped about some Diwali party.

“No,” he cut off.

“But, sir, if…”

“No. We will have your usual bonus cheques and a small dinner if you want. Decide what and where to order from.”

He replaced the receiver and got back to work.

Then, twenty minutes later, Trisha knocked on his glass door.

“Come on in,” he muttered distractedly.

“Gautam Sir, do you have a minute?” She smiled, tentatively entering the space.

“If it’s about your party then turn right back.”

“Sir, the staff is really excited. We have never had it before. And I promise it’s a great team building…”

No.He had missed out on the sheet of final numbers from Misir Carsisi. And the one he had was in Turkish.No. No. No.He would have to contact his translator now. Or find a new one. Or use Google translate.

“…and I will personally make sure that everything is done respectfully.”

“I said no!” He blasted, glaring up at her. “We will be closing the office for five days for Diwali holidays after tomorrow, and I do not want any mess before we do. I told Leo, you can have a dinner planned and order in for everybody. Something non-messy. Now, anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Then you may go.”

Gautam thought biting two heads off would be enough. But a third head darkened his door. This one was a head he liked.

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