An Avoidable Seduction of My Girl

"Visible?" He threw his head high in a mute laugh. "That's a good way to put it. And if I remember correctly, we spoke when you won the solo dance competitions. Some moves!" He stubbed his cigarette and.

"Oh, yes .I think I remember." She smiled at him.

They disappeared from my view to only reappear inside. I quickly moved to a comfortable spot behind the large window. I could clearly see them through the venetian blinds. A potted plant on the window sill that was in front of me made me camouflaged even if they looked this way. And if I guessed his intentions correctly, he wouldn't curl up the blinds. Now, the room opened up to them. As much I was surprised, Shilpa too was speechless seeing how rich the room looked.

"Wow, you got yourself a nice place here. It looks so beautiful." She complimented him.

"Yea well, thanks."

"I like the Dream catcher! It's so beautiful." she said, walking and looking around like a cautious tourist "The clock looks amazing too." She was adjusting her purple handbag as it fell from her shoulders when she reached out her entire arm to point at the antique timekeeper.

"Got it from Switzerland last year when I went for a trip with my friends. It's quite pricey. Or should I say worth its value." He said casually. "I usually dig such items. And for the dream catcher, I got that from the flea market right down the street. 50 bucks." He fell on the plush two-seater sofa crossing his legs, motioning her to sit.

I watched her as she kept her handbag in the wooden coffee table near the sofa. As she settled herself, her hands travelled down from a quick fix of her hair to adjusting her top. It quickly came to rest on her crossed thighs...

"And I liked the carpet too! I'm a sucker for all these things." My eyes fell on the fur carpet in the middle of the room. It looked fine enough to be given as a precious gift. It was dark brown and trimmed into a perfect oval. As much I loved such items, Shilpa loved it even more. He just smiled and looked at the same.

"And again. I'm glad you could come."

"To be honest, I was taken aback when you came and talked to me. You were always busy all the time. "

"I had to make last minute adjustments. You're are one of the few people whom I wanted to know more about before I leave college. You're one of the promising students. Who knows, one day I would tell my friends that I once knew Shilpa!"

"Flattery. I shall accept that. Haha." she slapped his forearms playfully.

He smiled and in a swift move, he got up and strolled out of our views into the adjacent room.

"What are you having? A welcome drink is my duty. Hope you're not too drunk for another one"

"Yea sure..." She approved his hospitality, taking in the view of the room in his absence.

From seeing the ground reality happening before me, I now reluctantly agreed to the fact that I was actually pitting my current self against the person whom I aspired to become. And the person whom I saw as a better version of myself was Sid. It was true that I saw Siddharth in higher pedestal than me. An unknown and twisted part of my mind found a bitter sweet happiness in the fact that he was targeting my girl too. There was a weird sense of empathy for him. I also grasped the sad reality of my addiction to these psychological games. That I made my girl as the winning prize. I literally made my girl vulnerable to his obvious persona and let her decide the fate. I was letting this humble alpha male of the pack to have the complete control of his arena for the possible seduction. The test of her fidelity and the battle between her love and lust was unnecessarily thrust upon her by her own man that was me. I prayed that that no one would ever come to know about this mistake of mine.

As the mute observer to the conversations, I studied the silence which came between them for the first time. I looked at my girl. I could see my beloved who belonged to me. I could also see the tension that in her mind. She wouldn't be want to be seen here yet her body was consoling the mind by not leaving. I would like to believe that her decision to come was out of pure fascination. His invitation took her aback and his 3 years of stardom of her college attracted her. It was a magnetic pull to a person who was chased by a lot of girls.

I watched her as I listened in the background, to the fixing of drinks and the cutlery. She was still looking around studying the room. She kept brushing her hair too, fixing her top and pulling at her skirt. She shifted twice in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position. I was making a case study with my own girl. I realised I was actually enjoying the situation. I was seeing all the beautiful things she was doing. I was giving her a free reign solely believing in her decisions. I really would have loved for her to take the decision of not visiting him in the first place. A part of me wanted this completely to happen as it was unfolding.

Just then, he walked in with two short glasses which was presumably the promised drinks.

She looked up to make eye contact when she was offered her drink and her eyes followed him till he sat back again.

"Cheers."

The glasses clanked and he continued." You didn't ask anything about what I said before at the bar". Inquiring with a smile.

"Yea, as I said I was taken aback! I didn't know that you had a crush on me. I wouldn't have believed it if it weren't for the pics..."

Only a smile came as the reply from Siddharth.

"But I'm going to take that as the best compliment I got in college." She finished her sentence. She expected a reply.

What picture was she referring to? What did he send her?

"Of course. I had to send it as a proof. Haha."

"That was your room, where you hung my portrait?" She asked

"A year ago. Right there." He pointed inside. "Had a very bad crush on you. I didn't know why I didn't ask you out. I think it was one of my deepest crush. " He teased her.

"Are you sure? Girls talk you know" she also retorted in a teasing sort of way, with a sly smile and the glass dangling from wrists.

"And what would the girls be talking?"

"Lots of things. About your girlfriends and you know, affairs?"

"I have been exposed .Let me know the charges of which I'm guilty for"

"You're not guilty of anything but you're seen as a more of an unsettled butterfly. Stories are many."

"I don't gossip much. But I also would tell you I'm a one man woman. At a time, of course. He added that with a wink.

"Haha. Of course." She took a long sip.

"Besides, it's always good to share feelings when and how it comes. I believe in acting spontaneously."

"Tell me more." She questioned him casually. She was smiling at each and every word he spoke.

"Well. Look at me. All my college days I have been striving to do stuff. Nothing excites me more than achievements, Shilpa. That's what I love doing. Trust me. I have always excelled. I have always been a go getter. "He paused.

"But at the same, the dearest things in life like love require some sort of adjustment and sacrifice. And yet it may disappoint you. I'm just a lover of the moment."

"That's deep. A scorned lover perhaps?" She smiled. She was digging deeper into his personal life.

"Oh I'm not saying that I'm sad about it. Quite the opposite. You know, I'm quite well off." Siddharth continued. "But there's lots of rich kids who have gone the wrong way. I don't like to take all these riches for granted. I could live like a millionaire even if I don't work a single day. But that's not living the life."

Everyone knew that Siddharth was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but what made him more likeable was the fact that he never smothered everyone talking about it. He appeared like a commoner. A commoner with a lust for life.

He continued. "As I said. I love the challenge .The competition. Sometimes I can go the other way too. Getting a bit crazy in doing stuff. He smiled." But that's just me."

Through his self-adulation and continuous blabbering, I could understand that he was carefully choosing his words. He said everything to attract to women at a primal level. He was telling her that he has resources and he was aware of it. He was showing off the fact that he wanted to make the best use of it instead of philandering it away. He just told that he was an exciting, competent guy who's up for a challenge any day. I instantly noticed her avoiding eye contact and looking down submissively, smiling.

"And yes it's a great life, don't you think?" He took another small sip of his drink.

"It's a bit different for me, but yes. I'm not that lucky as you though. I worked my way up. But yes, I love life."

She always enjoyed deep conversations and he was good at it. He lifted his glass to take a sip when she just finished hers. I noticed that she was drinking faster than she does usually. Was she getting drunk? No, she always maintained her composure.

"Of course. We all have limitations. But what we strive to do is live your life to the fullest. I do stuff which I like. And I protect it. I don't give a fuck what others think. Haha."

"Speaking of which, I didn't know you danced well too. Yesterday was a complete shocker. Was that part of living the life too?"

"Haha, of course. I took dance lessons. But keep that as a secret." He winked at her.

He began to speak about the class which he took last year. He was sounding very interested to tell about it. He explained about the little fun incidents that happened while at he was at it. I'm sure whether he even took classes but I knew it was to get her attention even to something she enjoyed. He carried on talking about until Shilpa cautiously cut him in his explanations.

"Ok, I have to tell you one thing. I don't know how it came to my mind right now. It might sound really weird." she gave a nervous laugh.

"Go ahead, try me." He was eager to listen even though her words came from nowhere.

"Ok." She stood up straight in the sofa and smiled a shy grin. "Did you know Karthik thinks of you as his role model? Like he literally wants to be you and aspire to be you."

Those words defeated me. The timing of her response confirmed it. Why would she want to say that to him? And that too, at a moment when both of them clearly knew that he was flirting dangerously, each sentence bolder than ever. I knew what that meant. She was literally hinting about the fact that she believed so. And right now, in his house when nobody knows about her presence, saying that clearly sounded like an invitation for more than harmless flirting. A grin formed on his face.

"To be honest, that's not the first time I heard it. He brushed it away casually. "But I never guessed Karthik would say that. He's more of a nerd. No offense. He a good nerd." He finished his sentence, studying her body.

"Yea I know. He's a good nerd. He's very sweet." She replied as her eyes met her fingers holding the glass.

"I know I have many fans among other guys too." He winked at her.

"He always speaks highly of you." Although smiling, she decide to ignore his gesture.

"Fix you one more?" He nodded towards her now empty glass

"Well..." She looked at the glass with a mild surprise that she finished it so fast.

"I don't want you getting drunk and sleeping off on that couch, madam." I think we can have some really good conversations."

He sounded really genuine when he said that. If I went by how he put those words together, I would have seriously believed that he was here for a few talks only.

"Are you fine?" He enquired.

"Yes of course, I am! I know how to handle myself. Not drunk at all" The slightly raised tone of her voice showed that she was letting him know she wasn't that irresponsible. She was on a happy high but sounded quite in her senses.

"Ok tell you what." He leaned forward and took her glass away from her as he continued to speak.

"I'm gonna keep these back in the kitchen and I'll show you the pretty little garden of my house. Let's have some fresh air."

"Sure." She watched him get up and leave the room. I almost had a heart attack when her eyes wandered to the potted plant on the window sill behind which I was hiding. Thankfully, there was no possible way she would have noticed anything peculiar. A few cluttering noises and a very low audible latching of the cupboard, he walked back

"Shilpa?" He called out to her when I saw him walk closer and lean downwards to the seated figure when he was near her. She wasn't facing him that time. In fact, she was looking my way.

"Yes?" Came her reply.

What I saw in that split second changed what I unwillingly wanted all night. Time seemed to slow down in that very second. Her hair flew across her face when it swung over her beautiful features. The smiling face that greeted him was met with Siddharth's face inches away from hers. I saw the space between those faces slowly disappear as he took her face in his hands. He planted a swift kiss right on her lips all the while holding her face. It was a kiss, a full mouth kissed that seems to linger on forever but it was over as soon as it started. Their lips parted ways to a smiling Siddharth and an expressionless Shilpa.

"I always wanted to do that." He sank into the sofa. This time, he moved a bit farther from her from before. He was giving her the 'space' after that creep of a move. I was getting a live class on sleazy seduction!

"Did I upset you? He continued to speak. "Hope I wasn't a bad kisser"

"No... I mean...Wow, Ok. I wasn't expecting that." Her nervous giggle continued and he watched her with a completely innocent face, a smile curling his lips upwards.

"It was really what I expected though. You have such wonderful lips." He smiled at her like an innocent kid.

"It might sound weird but wouldn't it be really amazing to know that a guy whom your guy 'worships' to show a genuine interest for you."

Just when she was about to answer with a surprised look on her face, he continued to speak.

"And want to be just as close as possible to you..?" He shifted ever so slowly nearer to her.

"I'm still at a loss of words..." She was taking what just happened to her. For a person who would not wait a moment to any displeasure dished out, she was really slow to react.

"Should we walk to the garden now...or stay here for a bit more time."

His arms found its way to her thighs for the first time. It was the first time he touched her tonight.

"You like me, baby?" Siddharth leaned in a bit more closely.

"It's not right..."

"No, does it make you feel good? I'm just asking you that. At a very deep level."

"Yea, I mean, you're hot. In so many ways. But..."

Her Body huddled to the corner of the sofa and naturally went defensive, shifting her weight into the other end of the cushion. Sid was moved with her and she was finding herself to be almost pinned between the cushion and him.

"I don't think I'll do anything you don't want to." With that in one swift motion he grasped her ample breast from under her top and looked at her.

"Sid..." Her voice was frail and accommodating "No. This is bad. We should stop. This is so wrong..."

"You wore a blue top on your first day of your college. Do you remember?"

"What? I...really don't remember." She had a glazed look in her eyes now. She wasn't expecting that from him.

"Blue top with a white embroidery in the front? And a pair of black jeans? That's your favourite top, I'm sure." He enquired.

"Wow ok...Maybe you're right." She was smiling at him in a confused way. She had her hands on his shoulders now. It just rested there with posing any resistance to him.

"I remember that day so well. And from that day on, I used to check you out right after my basketball practice almost every day."

Her eyes darted all around his face. He was pointing out instances from the past "You're so fucking adorable. Why do you think I came to your class right after we won the Inter-College festival? I wanted to show off the shining trophy to you. "

She let out a sigh, never turning her eyes away from him as the touch became a lingering massage. I was equally surprised that Siddharth watched her so closely. All those times, he was the one who was the centre of female attraction. Siddharth the hero was showering her with attention. He was subtle and persuasive in making her believe that it was not only in the past few days that she was in his mind, but the moment he saw her when she joined college. As far as I knew, He always paid attention to details about everything. I could also sense the halo effect he was taking advantage of. He was telling her that the most desirable guy in college always had a look out for her.

"Remember the time you practiced your ass off for the dance finals? You stayed back longer than everyone. I loved your dedication and passion. The way you move your hips...ummm."

She looked away, letting her head fall sideways into the cushion. She was almost lying down leaning into the armrest now seated there. I heard a low gasp from Shilpa when I saw his fingers enter into her top from her midsection. He was holding just above her hips from under her top.

"And I'll tell you one thing, Shilpa. This is between us. This night. I love and love each moment deeply. I don't want any harm to happen to you. I wouldn't let anyone pass that gate tonight."

He gave her the ultimate reason for to be in plausible deniability. The plausible deniability to be a woman who was going to submit without having any implications or any pressure on her. He very well knew Shilpa never saw herself as one of the easy girls. She still looked as if she wanted more false validation if at all she was going to allow him his prize.

"We should stop, Sid. Before it gets too late. I have a boyfriend." She protested so meekly that she sounded she genuinely wouldn't have convinced herself.

"Oh I know that guy. A nice kid. Just Relax, beautiful." His voice was sounding soothing and confident at the same time.

I wanted a closure. A natural closure. This is what I wanted and this is what I got. I wanted to see the simple reality of the animalistic decisions we make in this world of today. I wished to see the dominant male coaxing his intended target. I wanted to see the modern day equivalent of fluffing up the feathers to show off his perfect genes. All the thoughts of mine being passive left me as I found myself getting aroused. All the guilt of letting this happen was washed away. I realised it wasn't in my control at all. I wanted to see this male show his strength, his ownership of resources to protect and conserve his target to finally satisfy his own primary urges. I came to the painful realisation that I got what I wanted. The anger and the slight resentment of not willing to do anything till now slowly made way for the twisted thoughts I had before. All thoughts of aggression completely evaporated.

"I want to have you, Shilpa" He parted the fallen hair with one of his hands that was inside her top and found its way again. This time it moved higher to her breasts, inviting another gasp louder than the previous one.

"Sid, this is..." He didn't let her finish. A deep kiss muffled her words. He knew she was willing as long as he did the right things and said the right words.

"Shhhhh...its ok..."

He leaned forward this time, kissing her cheeks, her face hidden away from my view. Her legs were falling down from the sofa sideways, her body half cocooned with Sid's body joining them at their hips. I saw her squirm from his touches and kisses, her thighs rubbing against each other tightly.

He continued groping my girl's breasts with his hands. Her top had ridden up as I could see glimpses of it when they squirmed together. He came down with his hands still on our heaving mounds and he slowly down kissed her exposed belly. For the first time since he touched her, I saw her face as he planted wet kisses on her navel. It was a face of scrutiny and pleasure. It was as if she wanted to separate the adultery she was committing so that she could enjoy the soft kisses without remorse. With an occasional tighter squeeze of her breasts, her mouth let out long gasps through her slow breathing. Her hands found its way with a mind of its own and her fingers entangled his thick wavy hair.