Chapter 1
Naina
I look at my reflection in the mirror again.
“Don’t you think this dress is a little too revealing?” I ask Charvi hoping she would not be offended.
Charvi gave me this beautiful red dress for my date this evening. It has a plunging V-neck that ends just below my breasts. Revealing a generous cleavage. The back also has a similar V neck but it is wider and reaches almost to the small of my back. It is cinched at the waist and flared below. The high-low dress ends at my knees in the front and is longer at the back touching the floor. The fabric clings to my body, accentuating my curves and I love how it feels against my skin.
“Are you kidding me? You look perfect. You are an angel with the devil’s body babe” Charvi winks at me.
I roll my eyes at her, shaking my head. I have light makeup on with just a hint of blush on my cheeks and eyes. I have only highlighted my lips with dark red lipstick. The red dress and lips made me look and feel like a diva. I decided not to wear any jewellery as I would be wearing a mask anyway. I touch the chocolate-coloured mask which would cover my face except for my lips and chin. It is accentuated with black feathers on top of the head.
“An odd choice for a first date isn’t it? A masquerade ball!” the butterflies in my stomach were speaking.
“At least he is not boring like every other guy who just wants to have a drink or dinner and head straight to bed. I would have gone bonkers and jumped on his bones if my boyfriend had suggested something wild like this” Charvi tries to assuage my doubts.
“He is not my boyfriend Charvi. This is the first time I am meeting him in person and he wants to wear a mask. This is what is making me nervous. How do I trust that it is him?”
“Naina! He is not taking you to some God-forsaken place. He is taking you to a party where you are going to be surrounded by people. You honestly need to chill babe. Enjoy the night. If you feel uncomfortable at any time send me an SOS. I will come and pick you up immediately. You have been far too occupied with your work. You need to have some fun. You are just 22! This is the age to have fun and let loose.” Charvi hugs me and hands me my purse and mask.
“Thanks, darling. You are the best.” I give Charvi a tight squeeze and step out of the apartment.
Dev has asked me to meet him at Richmond Square and stand in front of the Pristine white horses’ Fountain at 7:30 p.m. My Uber ride was already waiting for me as I alighted the steps. I waved at Charvi who was looking at me from the window of our third-floor apartment. She waved back with a huge smile on her face and a glass of wine in her other hand. It was only 7 p.m. but Charvi was going to curl up on the sofa sipping her wine while watching a romantic movie. I sigh and wish that I was back in my apartment sipping wine, laughing and crying while watching a sappy romantic movie with her. But I know that if I do head back, she would kick my behind and ask me to have some romance in my life and not just watch it on screen.
In fact, the only reason I am heading on this date is because of Charvi. She installed the app Bumble on my phone, set up my profile, and started looking for a date for me. Dev showed interest in my profile. He was good-looking with a boy next door charm. We chatted for a while and found that our interests matched. Charvi egged me to meet him and perhaps Dev felt the same way. He mentioned that there was a masquerade-ball-themed night at the District 29 pub and was interested in attending it. He asked me to attend the party with him. I was so out of my element. I prefer quiet dinners, long walks, and easy conversations. I am probably the definition of an introvert. Just when I was about to decline Charvi interfered and twisted my hand into saying yes to the party.
“You are never going to know what you like till you try it, Naina. Common girl, live a little. Don’t be a boring grandma at 22” she had mocked me.
I had only agreed to this date to get Charvi off my back. Now I am unsure if I am doing the right thing. I hardly recognize myself. I was never the one to get dolled up let alone dress up in a sexy dress. Dev was bound to be shocked. The image I had portrayed of myself had nothing to do with the image I was going to present him with. The cab stopped at Richmond Square.
Are you sure about this Naina? A masquerade-ball-themed party? Who is this man? Do you really want to go on this date? Would you rather find someone who would take you to a quiet and classy place?
I shook my head and tried to silence my inner nervousness from discouraging me.
It is alright, it is just one night. Maybe the experience will be good for me to do something out of the ordinary. I may even enjoy it I try to convince myself.
It has been almost 10 minutes that I have been waiting for Dev. It is almost 7:40 p.m. now. Where is he? I wonder while pacing around slowly in my red wedges on the cobbled pavement.
At that exact moment, a sleek black Mercedes Maybach pulled up next to me. I stop pacing. Could it be Dev? He never mentioned owning a Mercedes-Maybach. I imagined him to be just an average guy next door and did not think of him as rich. It is not Dev who steps out of the car but two burly men who look like they are bouncers in a club. They are both bald. Their suits look expensive and so does their sunglasses. They could probably pass off as VIP security. They each come to my side. This is getting a little crazy.
“May I help you?” I ask.
They grab me by my arms and start pulling me towards the car. They are both so strong and their grip on my upper arms so tight that I feel like I am a toy in their hands. Before I can get another sound out of my mouth, I am sitting in the backseat of the car with these two men on either side of me. There is another suited man behind the wheel. He too is wearing an expensive-looking suit and sunglasses.
Why the fuck were these men wearing sunglasses so late in the evening. Why the fuck had they kidnapped me? Or was it all part of the masquerade ball party?
“Where is Dev? Is this part of the party? What is going on?” I shout.
None of them speaks. I try to get up but the man on my right pulls my hand firmly and makes me sit down.
Crap! I should have listened to my instinct over Charvi’s. This is not what I had in mind. This is more than I can take. I try to press the SOS button on my phone when the man on my left snatches my phone from my hand and keeps it in his left trouser pocket away from my reach.
“Hey! Now, this is getting really uncomfortable. Ask Dev to stop all this immediately. This was not part of the plan” I shriek and try to make as much noise as possible to attract the attention of people outside. The car’s windows are fully up and I have no idea if my voice is reaching outside at all but I have to try. What the fuck was Dev thinking? Agreeing to go to a pub with a costume was one thing, but kidnapping was not cool at all. Damn! This is not the guy for me.
Wait! What if it was not Dev? What if these men had me confused for someone else and probably did not recognize me due to my mask?
“Are you looking for Naina? Let me remove my mask. I guess I am not who you are looking for. Did Dev send you or someone else? This is probably a mistake. Who was the girl you are looking for?” I start questioning them. I try and fail to keep my voice from shaking.
The men sit silently and do not respond to my questions. I decide I have to act fast and do something to get out of this situation before it is too late. I lunge forward at the driver of the car hoping to grip his neck tightly so that he will stop the car but before I can reach him the man on my right pulls me back and plants my ass firmly on the car seat. The man on my right takes out a small bottle from his pocket. He opened the lid of the bottle and sprayed something into my mouth which was open as I was struggling with the man on my left to get myself free. I immediately start feeling dizzy and before I know it the car and the men are going out of focus. My vision blurs and I lose consciousness.
