A Taste of Spice

She simply smiled.

"Well," Revish said as he stood up, "I should go check things at the club."

"Yeah, I probably should bring some food back to Rekha, if she's awake."

As he helped her to her feet, he said, "Look, I don't want to stop you from seeing my beautiful country. So how about I take you two around? I have a car."

"You shouldn't have to do that, Revish," Nara replied, "You have work and you don't have to play tour-guide for me."

Revish waved his hand, "I can take time off from work and this way I can spend all my time with Rekha while she's here."

"Oh," Nara said then added with a grin, "And her little yellow friend, too."

Revish smiled and nodded.

************

Later in the day in the club's office, Revish told Vishnu about his plans to tour Nara and Rekha around for a few days.

"Woah! Woah! You're actually going to spend more than a night with one woman?" his friend chided him. He added, "You're actually committing yourself to this Rekha?"

"While she's here in Kolkata," Revish replied as he worked on the computer, "It would seem appropriate."

Vishnu leaned up against the desk, winked and smiled, "Well then, do you think you could work me in with her pretty foreign companion?"

Revish stopped typing and looked up at him. He fixed his cool eyes on his friend, held up his finger, and then shook his head slowly and deliberately. There was a sliver of a smile on his lips.

With that, Vishnu simply leaned back in his chair, folding his arms and grinning.

Revish turned back to the computer monitor. For several minutes, he just stared hard at the screen without typing anything.

***********

For the next couple of weeks, the trio traveled along the coast and into the hills of India. Revish was the perfect tour guide, knowledgeable and very proud of his country. They explored the countryside and towns and cities during the day and every night, no matter where they were, Revish always seemed to be able to find where the action was.

They got along just fine. Revish gave all of his affection to Rekha but always kept Nara involved. Nara gave the couple space though both Rekha and Revish insisted that they only do whatever she wanted to during the day. It was only in the evenings when they retired to separate hotel rooms, Rekha and Revish in one and Nara on her own, that they were apart. Nara had hoped that she would be able to spend at least one night sharing a room with Rekha for some much needed "girl talk", but she was also satisfied to see her friend so happy. Plus the two of them couldn't seem to get enough of each other, practically stripping one another with their thoughts and looks whenever they approached their hotel room.

It certainly gave Nara pause for thought before she fell asleep each night alone in her bed. Some nights it was easier to fall asleep than others.

The more they traveled, the more enamored Nara became with the country. India had a way of igniting all of her senses at once. Sights, sounds, tastes, smells just rushed at her. Often it was overwhelming, almost dizzying. There were times she would just stop in the middle of the crowded boulevards unsure of where to turn her next step towards, her eyes pulling her one way, her nose and ears pulling her in other directions.

It would take a playful nudge from Rekha, or the gentle but firm hand from Revish to get her moving again.

All of these stimuli seemed to have another effect on her as well. Her imagination, her dreams, became more vivid. India was a seductive country and it had wended its way into her very core. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but continue to think about Rekha and Revish being together. She had only actually seen them having sex once and it was in the dark. The way it was so entrenched in her mind with such intense clarity, she could have been sitting right beside them with a big spotlight glowing down upon their naked entwined bodies.

As she strolled beside a reflecting pool in a city-park, her mind wandered to thoughts of her own past sexual encounters. The one who stood out of course was Jae, her most recent boyfriend and longest relationship. A fellow university student and Korean in Toronto, he was admittedly the best lover she had. But even then, it had more to do with stamina than technique. Like previous guys, sex with Jae was a frenetic, urgent act. It was a one note torrid affair of relentless fucking. She and Jae would put the pedal to the floor from the moment they got into bed or found a place to park.

Admittedly, that had been a rush for Nara the first few times. Skip the story, go right to the last page, over and over, all the time. Thinking about it now, she wondered if their sexual relationship was what eventually led them to drifting apart. Imagining how Revish made love to Rekha seemed to fuel those thoughts. The more she thought about it, the more her focus shifted onto the handsome, confident man, her friend fading out of the picture altogether.

"Um, Nara?" Rekha waved her hand in front of Nara's face, "Hey, sweety! We don't want to leave you behind again. Imagine a lost, innocent Korean girl stuck amongst all these horny brown men in India!"

Nara blinked. She had stopped walking, her eyes fixed on the flashes of light dancing on the ripples of water in the pool.

"Hmm? What?" she asked, pulled out of her faze.

"I know that look," Rekha said smiling through her lush, red lips, "Stop thinking about guys and try to keep up with us okay?"

Rekha walked off, laughing, towards Revish standing in the distance. The man grinned and winked back at her.

Nara stood still for a second longer, the blood pulsing up to her face. Finally she managed to get her feet moving again.

************

They returned to Kolkota a couple of days before the girls' trip to India came to an end. The evening before their departure, Rekha drove to the airport to pick up her uncle. If she could have avoided going to there she would have. It was one of the few conditions for them to stay at his place.

Nara offered to go with her but Rekha didn't see any reason for her to go the crowded airport more times than she need to and there was a good chance her uncle brought enough stuff back with him to fill the trunk and backseat of the compact car. She told her to just stay home and pack.

Nara was cleaning the apartment when she heard the music of a cell phone. It was from a Blackberry phone on the coffee-table. As she picked it up, she didn't think it belonged to Rekha.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Nara? It's Revish," the voice on the other end said, "I think that's my phone you've picked up."

"I figured. You left it here today?"

"Yes. I'm relieved that you have it there," he said, "I really need it. I guess Rekha has gone to the airport?"

"Yeah," Nara replied, "I think she was going to try to see you tonight afterwards? Do you want her to bring it?"

"Actually, I'm very sorry to ask," Revish said, "But can you bring it now if possible?"

"Now?"

"I can't leave the club right now but I really need some information I have on it," he went on,

"Are you busy? I'll pay for the taxi."

"No, not busy actually. I'm pretty much done packing," she said looking around the apartment. Pausing for a moment she added, "I can bring it to you."

"Ah, that's great! Thank you," he said, sounding relieved. "And this way I can say good-bye to you in person as well!"

"Oh! Sure," Nara said, "I'll be there in a little bit, okay?"

Hanging up, Nara went and changed into a pair of grey dress shorts and a black stretch top. Just as she was about to leave the apartment, the phone rang. It was Rekha calling from the airport. She sounded exasperated as she explained that her uncle's flight was delayed by at least an hour, possibly longer.

"I have to stay," she groaned, "I can't go back and forth through that traffic."

"I'll tell Revish that you'll be coming by late tonight," Nara said.

"I'll probably be at least two hours late!"

Nara reassured her friend that it would be okay. She hung up and headed down to grab a taxi to the club.

*********

When she arrived at the club, the evening crowd had just started to churn things up. Vishnu met her at the door.

"Yeah, Revish is in the office just up those stairs," he directed her, pointing across the dance floor. "Go right on up!"

"Thanks Vishnu," she said and started to make her way through throngs of dancers. She looked back, "See you later?"

Vishnu nodded and smiled. He continued to do so as he watched the woman head up the stairs.

*********

"Hey! Come in!" Revish greeted her at the office door with a gentle hug. "Thanks so much for coming tonight."

"No problem," she said as he led her in. She handed him his phone and added, "Besides, you're right. This gives me a chance to say bye and thanks to you."

As she looked around the sparse office, Revish handed her a small glass of sherry and asked, "Do you want to hang out in the club for a while?"

Nara took a sip, shook her head and smiled, "I'm not really dressed for it."

She was a bit under-dressed compared to Revish's blue silk shirt and black dress pants.

"Maybe if I had some of your 'bling'," she joked, pointing out the glittering bits of gold accessories on the man.

Revish shrugged and smiled, "Part of my image when I'm at the club. But that reminds me, I have something for you: A going away present."

Nara's dark brows arched upward, "What? No, Revish! You didn't have to get me anything."

The man was already beckoning her with a wave of his hand as he walked across the room and pulled aside a small rug hanging on the wall revealing a doorway behind it.

Nara frowned, tilted her head, and eyed him.

"Come on," he said as he stood by the door, "You can't leave India without this."

She gave him a skeptical squint. She finished her drink then with a sigh she walked across the room. She slipped past him as he held the rug aside and passed through the doorway. The sound of the music from the night club below became a muted din as she did.

As Revish followed her through, he pulled the door shut. Nara stood in the room looking around.

"Okay. I wasn't expecting this," she remarked.

She had been expecting a back storeroom filled with boxes and files. Instead, she stood inside a rather spacious room with a high ceiling. It was simply furnished with a large bed, some lamps, a dresser with a stereo, a mirror, and a big screen plasma television mounted on the wall to the left of the bed. The walls were wash-painted a cranberry red casting everything in a subtle rose glow. There were no windows, and the room was warm and stuffy, a couple of incense sticks burning away in a pot on the floor filling the air with smoky spice.

"What...?" Nara started to say.

"Over here," Revish interrupted her as he walked over to a small shelf in the wall.

Nara didn't move from her spot. He returned with a small wooden box and held it out to her. Hesitantly, she took it from him and opened it. The glitter from the gold on the necklace immediately grabbed her attention. For a moment, she had forgotten the uneasiness she had felt when she entered the room.

Now it was replaced by a new uneasiness.

"Oh! Oh, no," she said softly. She looked up. Revish stood before her, watching her with his focused, calm eyes. Her mouth still hanging open, she looked back down at the necklace in her hands.

"You had a good eye when you saw this at the market," he remarked.

"I can't accept this," she said, shaking her head, "You don't have to..."

"See how it looks on you before you say no," he said, interrupting again. He picked up the large necklace from the box and held it up.

Nara looked towards the shiny ornate necklace but saw past it and into the dark facial features of Revish behind it. His green eyes sparkled more than any of the stones on the piece of jewelry. He motioned to her twice to turnaround before she slowly turned her back to him, her eyes always looking back warily.

Looking in the mirror, she raised her short, black hair up and watched Revish carefully as his hands came around and draped the necklace around her neck. It should have felt heavy even as it hung there, glimmering. Nara was barely aware of it.

Revish continued to stand behind her. The two of them looked at one another in the mirror.

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

It was only when he spoke that Nara managed to focus on the necklace. She raised an unsteady hand and touched it. Her face was still blank when she said, "It's, uh, beautiful."

Revish nodded approvingly. "You'll keep it then?" he said.

After a long pause, she forced herself to nod and she replied softly, "Okay. Thanks. This is really too much for a going away present, though."

The man started to chuckle, shaking his head.

Nara blinked. She said, "What? What is it?"

"Nara," he remarked as he leaned in close behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, "The necklace isn't your going away present."

Once more her eyes returned to looking at him in the mirror. His eyes were piercing and riveted on her, his thick brows steady. There was the cocky, confident, aggressive smile that she remembered from the first days she had known him etched across his lips.

"Wh-what...?" she stammered.

He continued to lean in close and speak words as smooth as his silk shirt, "I told you, Nara. I told you that you should fully experience my country."

His hands were heavy on her shoulders, holding her in place before the mirror. She felt unsteady but she didn't move.

"Revish," her mind was working rapidly but she couldn't think of what to say. She didn't know why she didn't try to leave.

His hand moved, pulling away the hair around her ear. He was right on top of her now, his mouth just brushing at the hairs on her ear. With a warm breath he said, "I saw you, watching us that night."

Nara's heart froze and the blood drained from her face, but within an instant her pulse surged again and her cheeks flushed red. Memories that had been suppressed flowed back into her mind, illicit, carnal images. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to clear her mind. All she could see was Revish.

Revish pulled on the sleeve of her top, stretching it over her shoulder. His lips came down and touched her bare skin, feeling the woman quiver.

Nara opened her eyes. "Revish," she gasped, "What are you doing?"

"Shh," he hushed as he continued to move his lips across her shoulder and neck, kissing around the necklace that hung there.

Nara was breathing heavily now, her head reluctantly tilting to the side, revealing her neck to the man, despite the conflict in her mind.

"I-I can't," she shook her head anxiously, "I can't do this."

She didn't move however, and still Revish continued to press his lips against her tender, soft skin.

Nara rolled her eyes upward towards the ceiling.

Revish looked up at her in the mirror. The woman's face was red and shiny from the heat of the room. Her crescent slit eyes were unfocused. She didn't move from her spot, only her unsteady breaths revealing any movement from her. He could tell what she was thinking by looking at her.

"Rekha will never know," he whispered to her reflection, "No one will know."

It was finally Revish who made her turn around and face him.

"You wanted this, didn't you?" he cajoled, "Ever since that night, you've been thinking about this."

Nara looked away to a corner, thinking, struggling with her thoughts and feelings.

"I've been thinking about you," he continued, his deep, calm voice masking a swelling eagerness he'd been enduring as well. He placed his palm gently on her cheek and turned her face towards him, holding it there.

It took a moment, but once her eyes were on his, she never took them away again.

"One night," he said with a husky voice, "You'll never see me again after this."

His face moved close towards hers. She didn't flinch. She watched as his mouth moved forward and press up against her lips. His lips were soft and warm. They shared a long, tender kiss. Nara's hands moved between them, pressing up against him, feeling his broad chest behind his silk shirt. Revish pulled her in closer, wrapping his arms around her, sending her body temperature through the ceiling. It was hot.

It was going to get much, much hotter.

Revish could feel her lips tremble upon his.

When they parted momentarily, he said, "This is just another one of our conversations. Think of it that way. No emotions involved."

Nara frowned, confusion seeping across her face, her dark eyes jittery and unfocused. Still she didn't back away when he brought his mouth to hers once more.

Their mouths opened and closed sensually around one another, warm air and dampness passing across their lips. For what seemed like forever they kissed and tasted one another. Nara was amazed at how methodical and deliberate Revish seemed to be. She was even more shocked about how willingly she was giving herself over to him.

Finally she pushed at his chest and broke away from the kiss.

Her anxious eyes looked up at him. She said, "Rekha might be back before midnight."

Revish grinned and said, "Likely with the airport and traffic, she will be at least 2 or 3 hours." He moved in again, pausing to add, "That should be just enough time for us."

As she watched his sharp smile move towards her again, she was briefly stunned by his bravado. As she felt his lips fold over hers, and his slick tongue slide into her mouth, she recalled her own curiosity about this man and the women he had been with. Then, as she felt him shift her slowly towards the bed, she couldn't help but think that the maybe the man wasn't just bragging.

Revish lowered her onto the bed like an angel falling into a cloud. Once on the soft linens however, their kisses became bolder. With each caress of his lips upon hers, Nara's buried passions were unleashed. Deep down she had known, from the phone call, during the taxi ride over, to the moment he welcomed her into his office, he was leading her right to this moment.

God help her, and Rekha forgive her, she had followed his lead right into bed.

Their hands clutched at one another and the sounds of their hungry wet kisses and gasps for air filled the room. Revish raised himself up and kneeled over her. In his usual cool and composed manner, he undid his shirt. Always with his eyes on her, he removed it and dropped it on the floor beside the bed. Proudly he rolled his shoulders back, his broad, muscular chest thrust over her. He observed the pretty young woman with the dark eyes look at him, scan his creamy brown skin. Her hands reached up and pressed against his hard abdomen.

Once again they clutched each other in a tight embrace as they kissed. Nara felt the stubble around his lips and chin tickle and gently scratch her soft skin. His body felt solid pressed up against hers and was reluctant to let it go when he again sat up, straddling her body.

Without a word, Revish reached behind one of the pillows. He pulled out a handful of silk straps. Nara gasped and swallowed hard when she saw them. Her eyes flitted nervously between the straps and to the man kneeling over her.

She shook her head, "N-no. Revish I don't want to use those."

Revish cocked his brow and grinned. "Are you certain?" he said, "Don't even want to try them on?"

Nara repeated, "No. Not like that."

Revish smiled. He put the straps down and instead reached for something on the night stand. Once more, Nara was taken aback when she saw the lens of a compact digital camcorder focus on her. She was about to say something again when he pointed to the television on the wall. Nara's mouth was agape as she saw herself on the large display, her face flushed red and breathing hard.