SAESHA POV It felt… strange.Not wrong, not bad—just strange.To walk beside him like this, not sneaking into his office at midnight, not pressed against his desk with my lips swollen and thighs aching. Just… walking into a mall. Like we were ordinary. Like he was mine in public and I was his.He didn’t hold my hand. Of course he didn’t. Veeraj Kapoor wasn’t a man who held hands. But his palm pressed against the small of my back as we entered the theatre, guiding me through the crowd, protective and possessive all at once. Anyone who saw us probably thought I was his girlfriend. They had no idea.We got our tickets without a word. He didn’t even ask what movie I wanted to watch, just picked the one he knew had the best private seating. The kind of luxury box that let him keep me close, unseen, untouched by anyone else.But the thing about being with a man like Veeraj? It didn’t matter how private the space. His presence made every room feel smaller.“Popcorn?” I asked lightly, trying
SAESHA POV The light streaming in through the curtains felt different that morning. Softer, warmer, like the world outside dared to creep into Veeraj’s dark bedroom. My lashes fluttered, my body still heavy from the night before. Every muscle was sore, every inch of me marked, and yet…I felt cocooned.Because he was still there.Veeraj’s arm was wrapped around me, his chest pressed hard against my back, his breath warm against my neck. He smelled like spice and musk, the kind of scent that clung to me no matter how many times I showered. My skin was still sticky with him, my thighs still tender, my lips swollen.I shifted slightly, trying to turn, but his grip only tightened.“Don’t even think about it,” he murmured, voice rough from sleep.“Veeraj…” I whispered, trying not to smile.His hand slid lower, palm spreading across my stomach, fingers splayed possessively. “Stay right here. You think I’m letting you run off after last night?”Heat flushed through me at the memory. The rope
SAESHA POV The night air in the mansion was heavy, still humming from the tension that had crackled earlier. I was pacing in Veeraj’s bedroom, chewing my lip, my mind still a storm after talking to Levi. Her words echoed in my head—“Get the pill, Saesha. You can’t risk it.”But when the door opened, my thoughts vanished.Because Veeraj stepped in.And he wasn’t empty-handed.In one fist, a pair of metal handcuffs gleamed under the dim light. In the other, a thick coil of rope, his knuckles wrapped around it like it belonged there. His expression? Dark. Controlled. Annoyed still, from earlier. But behind his eyes—something hungrier.I froze, heat rushing straight between my thighs. “Veeraj—”“Strip.”One word. Sharp. No room for excuses.I swallowed, fingers trembling as I peeled my dress off, baring myself under his gaze. My skin flushed hot, my chest heaving, but I didn’t look away. He wanted control? He had it.The corner of his mouth twitched as he dropped the rope on the bed and
SAESHA POV I shut the front door behind Levi and leaned against it, my chest rising and falling. My best friend’s words were still buzzing in my ears: “Get on the pill, Saesha. You can’t play this dangerous without protection.”She didn’t get it.She didn’t know Veeraj.I dragged myself up the sweeping staircase, my heels clicking against marble. My thighs were sore from earlier, my body humming from the hours I’d spent tangled in him, but nothing compared to the dread pooling in my stomach.Because I knew.I knew he was waiting.And when Veeraj Kapoor waited, it wasn’t patience. It was punishment brewing.The moment I reached the landing, I saw him.He was leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, dark shirt unbuttoned at the throat, sleeves rolled to the elbow. His jaw was tight, eyes dark, arms crossed.Every inch of him screamed authority.“Finally,” he said, voice sharp, slicing through the silence. “Had a good little gossip with your friend?”My throat tightened. “She was w
SAESHA POV The ride back to the mansion is quiet. Not the peaceful kind—no, this is thick, heavy silence. Veeraj’s hand is still on my thigh, his thumb lazily tracing circles over the sensitive flesh like he owns every inch. My core aches from what he did in the car, and my body’s still humming with the mess he left in me.I should feel ashamed. Instead, I feel drunk on him.The gates swing open when his driver pulls in, and for a moment I think I’ll just crawl upstairs, collapse into his sheets, and sleep until my body forgets the way it’s trembling.But then I see her.A figure waiting at the foot of the marble stairs, arms crossed, hair tied up in that messy bun that screams impatience.Levirena.My best friend.My heart drops.“Shit,” I whisper, panic flooding me as the car slows to a stop.Veeraj notices instantly. His dark eyes cut toward me, sharp as a blade. “Who is she?”“My… friend,” I choke out. “Levirena.”His jaw flexes once, and then his hand tightens on my thigh, posse
SAESHA POV The sun was cruel that morning, spilling through the wide mansion windows like it had the right to see what we’d done all night. My thighs still burned, my ass was tender where his hand had left red imprints, and between my legs… I was sore in that way that screamed I belonged to him.But Veeraj didn’t let me rest.“Get up,” he said, sharp as ever, tugging the sheets off me like I was a brat who’d overslept school. “We’re going out.”I blinked, groggy. “Out? Where?”“Breakfast.” He buttoned his shirt, dark and crisp, like nothing about last night touched him.Breakfast. In public. After he’d ruined me over his table.I almost laughed, but then I saw the gleam in his eyes, that cruel little smirk that meant he was already ten steps ahead.“Wear that white dress,” he said.I frowned. “It’s too short for a restaurant.”“Exactly.”My cheeks heated, but I obeyed. I always did, even when my gut twisted. Especially then.When I stepped out in the dress, hem brushing the tops of m