Kalpana & "Sir" Ch. 01

"Yes sir!" Kalpana replied, blushing.

"Good! During the presentation, make sure that you make eye contact with everybody. People like that. And that includes me. Otherwise, people will suspect something's going on between us. Got it?" Shyam asked.

"Yes sir!" She responded, looking shyly into his eyes. His gaze seemed to convey an unspoken message that he expected to finish their unfinished business soon...

Shyam had booked a suite at the hotel for his use on that day. He went up to his suite to shower, dress, eat breakfast and get ready for the presentation.

***

The presentation went off well. At the end of it, Trident's MD congratulated Sigma's Mr. Srinivas for a job well done. Besides having been really impressed with the presentation, he also had a soft corner for Srinivas, because he was an ex-Trident hand. He also mentioned Kalpana by name and complimented Mr. Srinivas for having assembled a fine team. He jocularly threatened to steal her from Sigma if Srinivas didn't treat her well.

Being busy, Trident's senior management people left soon thereafter, leaving Shyam and a few of his colleagues along with Srinivas, Kalpana and other Sigma staffers to review and dissect the happenings during the presentation and excitedly plot their future strategy. Srinivas expressed his admiration for Kalpana's performance, commenting on how confident, animated, enthusiastic and vivacious she was and how well she connected with everyone.

Kalpana blushed at all the praise coming her way, glancing at Shyam every once in a while. Her glances seemed to be asking him whether all the praise was for real and also thanking him for the great confidence booster and stress buster he had administered to her in the morning. Shyam's smiles and nods seemed to confirm his agreement and acknowledge her thanks. During lunch break, Shyam found a few moments with Kalpana, out of others' earshot.

"Please see me in my suite at 5 PM." Shyam said in a quiet, matter of fact manner, turning away almost immediately to start talking to someone else.

***

At those words, Kalpana found herself crashing out of cloud nine to land on mother earth with an almost audible thud. She flinched as all the feelings of guilt for having betrayed her husband's trust that she had managed to suppress for so long came rushing up, hitting her almost like a physical blow. She suddenly found herself in a cocoon, disconnected from others in the room who continued to eat and chat, unaware of her mental turmoil. She mechanically kept up the pretense of responding to others' conversation, while her mind dwelt on the enormity of what had happened between Shyam & herself that morning. She barely held on to her composure while the others finished lunch and slowly dispersed; no doubt to enjoy a happy weekend with their families.

She burst into tears the moment she was alone. Great sobs wracked her body as she buried her face in her hands and let the tears flow. Memories of the many events & happenings in her married life came welling up, happy & sad, romantic, intimate, mundane, funny; their first night together, their first fight, the birth of their first child, the holiday in Shimla... She remembered the comforting post coital closeness and intimacy she had shared with Kapil so many times in their long marriage. How could she have allowed herself to forget all that and let a stranger take her? No, she had not just allowed a stranger to take her; she had actually enjoyed being taken! Her guilt hurt her all the more because of the intensity of the climax she had experienced with Shyam. I am a slut and I deserve whatever punishment my husband gives me, she thought masochistically. Oh God! How am I ever going to face him! She wondered, cringing. Finally, Kalpana was so drained and exhausted, she nodded off to sleep, sitting at the conference table, head cradled in her arms resting on the table.

***

It was four thirty in the evening when Kalpana was woken up by a knock on the door. It was a hotel staffer who wanted to know whether she needed anything and enquiring whether she was ready to check out of the conference room.

Oh my goodness! She exclaimed to herself when she realized how long she'd been asleep. She asked for a cup of tea and retired to the bathroom to freshen up. Her eyes were swollen & puffy and her nose pink with all the crying she had done. She washed her face and refreshed her makeup, running a brush through her hair. Her mouth felt like ashes and the tea was flat and tasteless. She barely sipped it. She had an empty, melancholy feeling in her heart as she mechanically signed out of the conference room and thanked the hotel staffer.

She deliberately composed herself and kept her mind completely blank as she took the elevator to the executive floor, where Shyam's suite was located. She had absolutely no idea what she was going to say to him. She was sort of hoping that he would send her away after dissecting her performance during the presentation, strictly businesslike with no reference at all to what had happened between them in the morning. Then, she would go home, pretending that nothing had happened, it had all only been a dream...

Her composure vanished the moment the elevator bell dinged and the doors hissed open at the executive floor. By the time she walked to Shyam's suite and knocked on the door, she was edgy & nervous, wiping sweat from her face and pushing back unruly locks of hair & tucking them behind her ears. It was exactly 5 PM. She knew Shyam appreciated punctuality.

The thought of not showing up at all, just walking away from the Sigma job and the Trident project didn't even cross her mind. After all, Kalpana was no quitter; and besides she was very conscientious and dedicated. Perhaps she felt duty bound to let Shyam complete the unfinished business of that morning...

***