Page 9 of Love Locked
“I’m good. How are you?” He spoke, clearing his throat.
“I’m fine. I’m excited to work with you all,” she replied in a dulcet tone.
“Good. I’m sure you’ll love it here,” he replied, still dazed by the foreign thoughts invading his mind.
“Let’s talk about a few things now.” Adil got to the point, and Kabir welcomed the diversion. They all sat down and took their seats. Kabir paused as he was about to sit next to her, but sat across from her instead, berating himself right away.
He could see her face, and it was fucking gorgeous from here. She had glossy, jet-black hair that made him think of the starry night the last time he saw her.
Her attractive features screamed for attention. Her pronounced cheekbones drew his eyes to the statuesque bone structure that enhanced her softness. Her full, bow-shaped lips were pink and alluring enough to attract any male.
Her hair was long and beautiful, making her look like a Disney princess. And he had no idea why he immediately thought of Rapunzel. Maybe he ought to give up weekend movie nights with Amaya watching Tangled.
Her big, brown eyes seemed to be staring right back at him, piercing the core of his thoughts and emotions. They seemed to have cast a spell on him, making him disorientated and think in a carnal manner.
The teenager he knew was a quiet, reserved girl who never dressed like this. But this young woman was dressed in a skin-tight skirt suit that was professional yet alluring, and made his jaw drop by revealing her sexy curves. She was also calm and collected. He couldn’t even see a hint of distress on her face.
Even when she was nineteen, he’d only had a few interactions with her, except for the wine incident, which he had filed away for later. They hadn’t spoken since that evening in Alibaug a year ago. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him because of his drunken state and flicked away the incident into the recesses of his memories, never revisiting it ever again.
But now that he had a glimpse of the whip-smart, self-assuredness she possessed, his attraction towards her increased manifold. No matter how much he kept chiding himself that it was wrong, he couldn’t help but notice that she was an attractive woman now. He felt like a complete asshole at his lack of control. She was Kapoor uncle’s daughter, Mira’s little sister, and Adil was very protective towards her as if she was his kid. It felt like a betrayal to him for even thinking about what Kyra might look like under that business suit. But he couldn’t control his own thoughts, and it was damn frustrating.
“Kabir…”
“Yes?”
“I asked what proposal the Canvas Crew team gave us for the marketing campaign?” Adil was seated at the table with his hands clasped.
“What...?” Kabir squinted.
“Bira...” Vaayu told him, “Kyra claims that our social media presence is pretty much nonexistent compared to other brands; therefore, we should think about outsourcing marketing guys, and we need to bring on a new team.” Vaayu gave him a long, intense look.
“Yes, a complete redesign will definitely work in our favour,” Kyra spoke in a tone that had an edge.
“Sounds good. I will go to my office and check that proposal you asked for, Adi.” Kabir nodded as Kyra discussed their marketing hiccups. She appeared to have done her homework.
Following another ten to fifteen minutes of informal discussion, she resumed her chat as a CSO. She embodied professionalism to a T. She asked for reports regarding the partnership project at Roopganj. She was intently listening to Adil speak about its business model and its contract of partnership. She was honest and capable. It was evident from the way she carried herself.
“Kabir, are you even listening?” Vaayu asked, and Kabir looked up.
“Of course I am. I agree with you.”
“That’s it?” He asked, arching an eyebrow. “You just agree with everything?”
Kabir knew Vaayu could see right through him. He knew that his mind was elsewhere, but Kabir wasn’t going to admit it, and he knew Vaayu wouldn’t point it out. Frankly, he didn’t even want to admit to himself what bullshit was going on through his mind. To save his face, he replied.
“Yep. I only have twenty minutes before I have to meet with the representative from Shimla City Corporation.”
“Oh, you’re meeting their team?” Kyra asked cheerfully.
He nodded, “This is just the first meeting, but if it goes well, this could be huge.”
“That’s great. Can I come with you?” Kyra asked, nibbling on her plump lower lip that was painted bright red. He wanted to bite and suck on it. He snapped at his inner self. “No...”
Kyra frowned in confusion.
“No, I mean...” Kabir winced, “I mean, maybe next time. It’s your first day at work. Settle down a bit. Okay?” Kabir took a sip of the bottled water in front of him to quench his parched throat.
His brothers frowned, giving him a worried look, but he ignored their gaze, trying to slow down his whirring mind. Except he couldn’t. He just lied to their faces. They knew he wasn’t going to any meetings.
