Kanchan's Protector

By then, KK has shut the door, turned on the ignition, engaged the gears and swerved ahead, avoiding the car in front of us by a whisker, I feel the car hit a bump, and then we were tearing down the road.

I look at the gun, between the seats, and I hear KK growl. "Don't touch that fucking gun!"

I look at his face and he is obviously livid. Yet his eyes travel cyclically to the three rear-view mirrors, even as his attention is on the road. I try to peer out of the window, he screams, "Keep your head inside and down." I comply and then the enormity of the situation hits me. I start to shiver.

KK is now on his cellphone, using the handsfree as he drives. He is gunning the engine, the car is hurtling down a thankfully empty road. All I hear is a staccato of Italian coming from the car's speakers. I do not know who he is talking to, but his voice is calm, and I think so is the voice on the other side. KK takes another look at the rear-view mirror. He is now sure that we are not being chased or followed, and he eases up on the speed.

We drive for another 30 minutes or so, we see a car on our side of the road, flashing its tail-lights. KK stops inches behind it. Two men in suits jump out, open our doors, detach our seat-belts, pull us out simultaneously and push us into their car. KK says something in Italian, the two men get into our car and drive off. There are a driver and another man in the front seat of this car. Again, some instructions in Italian follow and we race down the road.

KK then turns towards me and pulls me into his arms. I hug him tightly, sobbing my heart out.

KK says I saved his life, but that is not really true. He says my scream distracted the killer just enough give him an upper hand. But one thing is obvious. KK has been in such situations before. He is a trained fighter, of that I am not in doubt.

There is a flurry of activity inside his apartment. Angela gets us some water and asks if we would like a drink. KK waves her away. I nod and she gets me what seems to be a stiff shot of brandy.

"Kanchan, pack a few sets of clothes, we will be out of this place for two or three days. Don't worry if you miss out some things, we can always buy them later."

Peitro is already packing KK's stuff.

"Where are we going?"

"Till I figure out what is going on, we need to get to a safer place. We are going to stay with Don Tomasino. He is my business partner and a friend here, a person I can trust our lives with."

We pile into one car, Angela and Peitro get into another with our luggage.

"I am sorry you have to go through this, Kanchan, it is my fault. I dropped my guard. But till I am absolutely certain who it was who tried to kill me or us, I cannot afford to be careless."

"You are not sure? That means you have some idea?"

"Just a gut feel, but within a few hours, I will know. My people are working on this."

"I am worried, now, KK"

"I guess, the phrase 'trust me' has no value anymore, but I will set things right, Kanchan, just give me another chance."

"I trust you KK, I am only worried about you."

He holds me to him. "It is another hour or so to our destination." He strokes my hair with his other hand. "I won't let anyone mess with you, Kanchan, I promise."

We pass through a high gate with a guardhouse on the left. We are waved through. It is a long driveway, there are lots of trees and shrubs. At some point, I smell horse dung. I recognise that smell as I have encountered it at studios when we have horses in our movie shoots.

The place seems familiar, till it dawns on me that this looks like the home and grounds of a Sicilian Mafia Don in the movie, Godfather 2. Then we are at a building. There are guys around, and though not outwardly visible, I am sure they are carrying guns.

A rather plump lady welcomes KK with a long and lingering hug, kisses his cheeks rather noisily and then turns to hug me. She says something in Italian.

"She is Maria, she says you are very welcome in her home," KK translates.

"Grazie, Signora," I respond with a smile. It is one of the few words I have picked up from Angela over the past few days. We climb a flight of steps and are ushered into a large room. There is a rather large old man sitting on a high backed rocking chair.

KK lifts the man's hand and kisses it, the man pulls him down into a hug and kisses his cheeks. They both break into Italian. Then KK introduces me to him, and says,

"Kanchan, this is Mr Tomasino."

Mr Tomasino seems to be past 80 years of age. He has a charming smile, a lot of wrinkles on his neck and cheeks. He addresses me in English that has a distinctly Italian accent.

"You are indeed a beautiful woman, it has been over 30 years since a lady from India has graced this home."

I smile, I don't know who or what he is referring to, and I don't know if I should ask. He extends his hand and I shake it.

"Allow me to extend my hospitality, do stay with us for a few days. And forget the incident that happened this morning, we men will sort it out quite amicably. And do forgive my English, it is not a language I speak often, though I read a lot of English books."

I must say, except for the accent, his English is rather immaculate.

"Your English is much better than my Italian, sir," I reply.

He laughs. His laughter is like KK's. KK must have picked up that mannerism during his constant interactions with him.

Tea is served. We sit on the sofa and both the men start talking. I am of course excluded because of the language. People keep walking in and out of the room, bringing both men some information or the other periodically.

Suddenly the meeting concludes. KK helps the old man out of his chair, hands him his walking stick that is nearby. Mr Tomasino hugs us both. Maria now enters and escorts us to our room.

She smiles at both of us and leaves. The room is large, there is a large four-poster bed in the middle. There are two large couches to one side, a writing table, a chair and large wardrobes. Two sides have huge windows that overlook the grounds with lots of trees and flowering shrubs. I can see men moving around, and occasionally a few women too.

Our luggage has been brought in. I realise I am perforce housed in the same room as KK. He realises this too.

"I am sorry, Maria has put us in the same room. But don't worry, you take the bed, I will use the couch. Can you manage for a couple of days? Or do you want me to ask Maria to fix up another room for you?"

I move closer to him, we have hugged and clung to each other quite a bit today. I hug him again.

"It is okay, KK, I don't think I can stay all by myself tonight. I'd rather have you by my side."

Maria returns, then talks to KK and leaves.

"Supper will be served in an hour, I will step out for about 30 minutes, you can shower and change. Informal clothes are okay, it is just a family dinner."

Soon, I am ready, KK returns, picks up a set of his clothes and gets into the bathroom, and is soon out, fully dressed. He is such a gentleman, I have still not seen him even in a partial state of undress over the past 5 days.

The food is delicious. The flavour of olives and olive oil is dominant. I express my compliments to Maria. KK translates for me, and Maria kisses me on my cheeks. Then she piles some more risotto on my plate.

I look at KK, with that pleading look that says, "How am I going to finish all this?"

"I promised you the best Italian food in Italy, that day, didn't I? Now enjoy it."

He then says something to Maria, probably translating what he said to me, for she beams. Then he grins, reaches out and starts helping himself to the food on my plate.

Once in our room, after we change into our sleeping attire, I sit next to KK on the couch.

"Mrs Tomasino is so sweet," I remark.

"You mean Maria? She is his younger sister. Mr Tomasino's wife passed away about 35 years ago, much before we were born."

"Do I get an update on what you guys discussed?"

"We have video coverage from one of the security cameras in the restaurant. It seems that not only did I break his arm, I also seem to have run over his ankle with my rear wheel. His accomplice took him away in their car."

"I felt a bump when you swerved off, KK."

"The man has a record, he is an independent operator, is not part of any organised syndicate here. The gun that he left behind in our car has been traced by its serial number. It was reported stolen six months back by its owner, who seems to be harmless and not involved in this."

"Why did he come after you?"

Don Tomasino's men are in touch with him at the hospital. He will need multiple surgeries, which will be paid for by me. No charges will be pressed, no retributive measures enforced. In return, he has revealed who had contracted his services.

"Who is it, KK? Who wants you dead?"

"Datta, Datta-Sahib!"

"Oh, my god, you absolutely sure of this, KK?"

"There was a middleman involved between Datta and the killer, I cannot say with 100% confidence but everything points to Datta. That man is obviously lusting for you, else he wouldn't do this. And pulling this off in a foreign country would have been a masterstroke, it would have been next to impossible to pin the culprit down."

"I can't do this movie, not if these are the stakes involved."

"Lust can drive people around the bend. You not doing the movie will not prevent him from coming after you."

"What do I do then?"

"Wait. The Don will ensure no organised syndicate comes after me. There is a creed amongst them. Now that the word is out, no independent operator will get involved either, or Don's men will go after them. In a couple of days, we will have a solution."

"Why should Mr Tomasino do so much for us? Does this not go beyond his business responsibilities towards you? I am sorry if this sounds rude."

"It is rude. The complicated reason is that if something happens to me, Don's business interests get affected. The simple reason is the one I gave you the day we first met in my office. In my universe, not everything is transaction based."

"I am sorry, KK, I shouldn't have said this." I cling to him. He puts his arms around me and we sit like this for a long time.

He smiles at me, then in one sweeping movement, he carries me in his arms.

"Come, let me tuck you in bed." When he places me gently on the bed, I hold him back.

"Sleep here with me, KK, hold me to you and protect me from all the evil in this world."

"Stupid woman, she seeks protection from the devil himself," he chuckles.

But he hops over me and we both get under the blanket. He is nice to cuddle up to, he smells delicious and while I am not yet ready to make love to him, something tells me he knows this and will respect my body and my feelings.

"This is so good. You know KK, I haven't even done a bedroom scene in the movies? Now I am lying next to a man I have known for just a few days."

"But your last movie had you in bed with the male protagonist."

"That is slick editing. Close-ups of my face, neck, lips, cleavage, bare shoulders, a naked back, waist, legs and of course the clothes lying on the floor were shot separately, with me portraying the right emotions and actions. For the scene with the man, a body double was used. Then the various shots were interspersed to ensure absolute titillation."

"Kanchan?"

"Yes, KK?"

"If I promise not to cross set lines, will you let me kiss you?"

I nod. It starts with a perfunctory peck, that soon turns onto a lingering caress. It is followed by a sensual lip to lip massage. Our lips then drift to our cheeks, eyes, earlobes in a random order to eventually return like fluttering doves to each other.

His lips are thick and full. They are deep pink and consummately sculpted. Or to put it simply, extremely kissable. The kiss turns more intimate. What starts like a radiating spark in my brain turns into a son-et-lumière, the lights are in my eyes, the heat is in my body and the sounds emerge from my throat.

I can feel my head sinking deeper into my pillow as the pressure on my lips starts to increase. I want to feel his tongue, his wetness, but other than the moistness of our lips, there is still nothing.

My brain is screaming, "Give me your tongue, KK," but he is unrelenting. I can feel his warm breath on my face. He breaks contact.

I whimper and my lips seek his lips again, my eyes are closed and I think so are his. My lips meet skin and light stubble. I know I am kissing his cheeks and then I feel a ridge. It is barely noticeable, but I know it is that scar on his face. I am surprised that I am not repulsed, but rather feel an attraction for it. But before I can find a reason for this, his lips find mine, and so does his tongue.

I meet it with mine, his touch is delicate and teasing. I try to make mine as delicate as his but I can't. I apply pressure, slowly increasing it as if I want to push this intruder away even as I want it inside me.

His left arm is under me now, his right hand is stroking my hair and cheeks, as his tongue incessantly assaults my senses. He tastes of olives and mint, olives from the supper and mint from his toothpaste.

I move the rest of my body closer to him, and I think I feel his hardness against my thighs. He moves his body away.

"Mio dio, sei bellissima," he says.

"What was that?"

"I said, my God, you are beautiful."

"You fool," I exclaim, tugging his locks. "You spend 5 days with me before you say this, Mr Tomasino said it within 5 seconds of meeting me."

"He has 5 more decades of experience than me, sweetheart and he is Italian. Italians are great lovers and diehard romantics."

I push him down and rest my head on his chest. Very gently, with featherlike strokes, my fingertips stroke his scar.

"How did you get this?"

"Do we have to go there?"

"Not if you don't wish to."

He pauses for a long while.

"About 5 years ago, I was walking down a deserted road not far from my home. It was late, I had stepped out for some fresh air after a long working stint. I came near a cul-de-sac, where a spirited girl was fighting off two drunken goons who were trying to molest her. She was a fighting machine, a gutsy live wire, a trained martial arts fighter. I went into the alley to help. The goons gave up but they couldn't run away because I was blocking the exit. One of them slashed me with his knife and they both vanished into the night. It wasn't deep, but it left this thin scar."

"You are pulling my leg."

He was silent.

"What happened to the girl?"

"She works for me."

"Sadhana?"

"How did you guess?"

"After you assigned her to me, I asked her one day, how long she has been working with you. She said, '5 years,' so I made a connection."

"I am surprised you don't recognise her. She is from your industry, she was a stunt-woman, and such person's pay is never commensurate with the risks they take."

"5 years ago, I was a nobody, KK."

"You will be a top-notch actor, Kanchan, and I will be very proud to be counted amongst your friends."

"Kiss me once more, KK, then hold me tight to you till I fall asleep."

The next day brings glad tidings. I check my mail to find my office has sent me a soft copy of the contract for the lead role in Datta's film. There is a cheque for the signing amount that is the largest I have ever received. The contract includes a profit-sharing clause, something that is very rare in my industry and the fee is almost on par with what is offered to male lead actors.

I show KK the mail and the contract. "What does this mean?" I ask.

"It is an olive branch, a peace offer. I think he realises that it may not be in his best interest to tangle with us and the producers."

"Should I accept?"

"Don't be in a hurry, go through the contract with a fine-tooth comb. You can sign the original papers only when you get back. Let him sweat a bit. I think you should take up the offer if the agreement is fair. But I have a condition."

"What is it, KK?"

"You will be accompanied to all your shoots and related activities by Sadhana and Hema who will not let you out of their sight. I do not trust Datta."

"The first thing I am doing when we get back is to give Rekha a big kiss!"

"Why?"

"Because if it was not for her, I wouldn't have found you."

We stay two more days in the Villa. I was right, there are horses, a stud farm actually, on the grounds. KK and I go riding in the afternoons, and when he is busy with his work in the mornings, Maria and Angela teach me to cook many Italian dishes. Every night, we kiss and then he holds me protectively in his arms as I sleep.

We express our gratitude and bid everyone goodbye, get back to KK's apartment and spend another 5 days sightseeing and shopping, buying stuff for my friends and staff. Then we catch the flight back home.

After we pick up our baggage and turn towards the exit, KK holds me back.

"I can't do this," he says.

"Can't do what?"

"We came separately and met at the airport on our flight out, I can't say an abrupt goodbye here for us to then part ways. Send your car back and come home with me. I will drop you back after dinner."

"You know something? If you had not said what you just said, believe me, I would have punched you in the nose before getting into my car."

KK: A conflagration

I show Kanchan my house. It comprises two large flats redesigned as one, in an upscale apartment complex. I prefer a minimalist design, there are a lot of open spaces, the house is very well ventilated and suffused with natural light. I have piped music, a giant TV screen on the wall of the living area, smaller ones in the guest rooms but none in my bedroom. I also have a home gym between the two guest rooms

"You have a very large kitchen," she teases.

"Didn't someone love my broccoli parathas?" I tease back.

I knock on a connecting door on one side of the kitchen that leads to yet another adjoining apartment. The door is opened by Hema.

"This serves as a holding area for my staff. They can rest here, watch movies, play games when they have no work to do. Like my housekeeper spends her time here when she is not cooking or cleaning, my driver can rest here. I guess you get the drift."

"This is a cool idea, I will copy this when I get myself a bigger apartment," she says.

Lunch is ready, we eat, then after a while, we retire to our respective rooms, to shower and then relax. I stretch out on my bed, cover myself up to my waist with a duvet, recline against the headboard and pick up my Kindle.

I must have been reading for about 30 minutes when Kanchan knocks on my open door. I smile at her and she walks towards me, but not before closing and locking the door behind her.

"Need anything, Kanchan?" I enquire.

She stands still, a beautiful maiden sculpted in alabaster. Her neck is long and graceful, she has high cheekbones, eyes that are big, round and sparkling. I think her breasts are a 34D, maybe a tad bigger, they are round and very symmetrical and yes, they defy gravity. She is wearing a short white blouse that exposes her midriff. Her waist narrows in a gentle curve and then flare into hips that are about as wide as her chest. She is wearing some sort of leggings that accentuate her athletic thighs and calves.

"You are staring at me," she states, neither smilingly, nor accusingly. I am acutely conscious that something between my thighs is swollen and hard and am glad the duvet covers that region.

"You are so beautiful," I sigh.

"I started to miss you, KK."

I put my Kindle aside and open my arms. She walks into them and positions herself on the edge of my bed. I make a place for her and she is now half sitting and half lying across my chest.

"KK, can I ask you for something?"

"If it is something I have or can get, consider it yours."