FATAL ATTRACTION  
II. Back to Work   

Right out of the Institute of Hotel Management, Mayank, at 23, was the Manager, Business Excellence, and happy with his job. It was something he always wanted to do... He loved to travel, see places, meet people... interact with them, and his job gave him more than ample opportunity for all of that... And his love for the sea, and surfing, made Goa the ideal choice.

'Could anyone ask for more...' he often wondered as he walked the shore late each night, or surfed the little cove, close to the resort, on his days off.

"So, how was the trip, dude?" asked Ali, entering the room as Mayank closed the file he was reading.

"Simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!" he grinned back, the joy and excitement obvious.

"Hmmm... and did something happen?" Ali asked sitting down with a huge, mischievous grin and a pronounced wink.

"You and your constant thoughts about getting laid!" responded Mayank, rolling his eyes, his handsome face screwed up in mock disgust.

"Ah... do I take that for an affirmation, uh?" he pressed, the smile broadening.

"Take whatever you want, just get lost; I have a few things to finish before the meeting this afternoon," he said, turning back to his laptop.

Well, 'take' I can, but you never give..." Ali purred, leaning across the table, the full lips slightly parted, dark eyes half closed, smouldering, "we could make a lot happen..."

"Gimme a break, dude..." Mayank replied, slamming shut the drawer before looking up at his batch-mate, friend and now colleague, "you've tried it long enough, but your seductive antics aren't working here..." he smiled, "so stop trying!"

With a sad face Ali leaned back in his chair, "Yup, and that's the saddest part, you make me all hot and horny... but refuse to consummate our lovely friendship."

"Shut up and get back to work..." snapped Mayank, with a smile, "don't you executive housekeepers have any job to do? Go, clean some toilets!"

"Relax..." said Ali, getting up from the chair, "now you finish your papers for the meeting, I'm leaving, but how about going some place later this evening?"

Rummaging through the stacks of paper that he had taken out of the cabinet, Mayank just grunted, not bothering to answer.

"You didn't answer..." said Ali.

"No, I don't think I want to, not tonight. It was very exciting but also exhausting and we returned late, I didn't get much sleep last night."

"OK, then catch you some other time..." Ali said opening the door and going out, shutting it after him and almost immediately reopening, popped his head in, "Someone else's bursting with questions..." he sang with a wicked grin, shoving the door wider, "let's see you refusing to answer her!"

"Get lost..." growled Mayank, making to throw the file he held in his hand and then quickly put his hand down as Kajol walked in.

"You look happy..." Kajol said, smiling widely at him, "the surf must have been great, huh?"

"Didn't want to leave the place..." Mayank replied, smiling back... and then scowled as he noted the raised eyebrow, questioning. "Not you too, Kajol..." he said with a horrified look.

"Why, what's wrong with it, did you or didn't you?"

"NO!" he nearly screamed, before smiling at her. "Kajol, Sandeep is just a friend and for heaven's sake, I don't even know anything about his sexual orientation!"

"I know, he IS gay!" Ali answered the question, popping in his head once more.

"Get out you... um..." Mayank checked himself, never given to using obscenities in front of a lady. "And what do you mean, eavesdropping outside my office door, huh?"

Ali grinned as he withdrew, closing the door.

"God, this guy is real weird, totally gross..."

"He is sweet and a real nice person."

"A raving queen and incredibly curious about other people's private affairs..."

"Oh, so am I" said Kajol with a giggle. "But there, we are deviating from our subject of discussion..."

"We are NOT. Besides I have nothing to tell... The surf was incredible and we had some real great time. And please, Kajol, I like Sandeep, as a friend, but I'm NOT sexually attracted towards him. Period!"

"Hmm..." she responded with a disappointed look.

"How's the boss?" he asked, changing the subject as he sat down, "What's this meeting all about?"

"Oh, the usual," she replied, looking keenly into his face, "with the holiday season fast approaching, he has some ideas, he wants to thrash it out before we go full steam..."

"Oh," he said, making some notes in his diary.

"What are you doing this evening?" she asked.

"Well, nothing much, just plan to catch up with some long delayed correspondence and get some much needed sleep."

"You're so lazy..." she said, rolling her eyes, "get out, move... meet people, circulate. How long it's been since the last time?"

"Kajol!" Mayank looked up startled, horrified. "Gosh, you and Ali... well, I hate to discuss my personal life, but it's been over, say... um, maybe..."

"And you can't even remember, huh?" Kajol chortled, "That's why you need to go out more often, socialise."

"I enjoy my work and love doing it. And as for the free time, I have my books and..." he paused to grin, "my surfing!"

"Books and surfing, God, you really amaze me!" Kajol exclaimed, "Books and surfing are both individual activity, one inside your room, and the other alone, out on the waters, with absolute no scope of meeting or interacting with other people..." she added, shaking her head.

Clicking his tongue Mayank remarked, "I surf with Sandeep, I can't help if it's not a popular sport out here."

"And that brings us back to Sandeep..."

"Oh..." Mayank groaned, throwing up his hands.

But dismissing his reaction Kajol continued, "He's young, same as your age; he's the only son of a super rich dad... owner of a chain of resorts, plantations and two of the best stud farms in the country!"

"Kajol, we've been through this before," Mayank said, holding his hand up to stop her.

"He is very handsome, charming and it's obvious, he likes you..."

"Yes, he is all that you say, and he is also a very nice person, an incredibly good surfer... doesn't have airs about his wealth or good-looks, but, and that's a very big but, why don't you understand, he isn't my type... I don't even think of him, sexually... and the same with Ali. He too is a great guy, but I'm NOT attracted towards either of them."

"Buddy, get yourself a purity ring," Kajol commented with a smirk and then in a resigned tone added, "Only God can save you!"

"Yes, let's leave it to God then," Mayank said with a smile, "I'm sure when the time is right, He'll send someone..."

"And you may be too old by then..." Kajol grinned wickedly.

"Hah..."

"OK, okay... back to where I was," Kajol said getting up, "since you don't have anything planned for the evening, why don't you join us for dinner?"

"Us?"

"Yup, Milind and..."

"Why, thanks... but wouldn't he want to be alone with you, huh?" Mayank responded even before she could finish.

"Listen buddy, we've been together pretty long, we're engaged, we don't date any more, so just shut up and be at Martin's Kitchen," she said reaching for the door.

"Oh, OK..."

"8 pm, sharp." she said as she went out, shutting the door behind her.

"Sure..." he called after her, turning back to his laptop.

The evening was nice, and Milind was good company. Kajol... well yes, and Ali, were right, he should be going out a lot more. His work brought him in contact with numerous people, but then, he wasn't exactly forming any sort of relationship, with any of them. And even after six months he could only count Ali, already a friend before coming to Goa, Kajol and Sandeep as friends... well, yes, friends, though all three complained that he still seemed to have an invisible wall around him. God only knew what they meant by that. He liked being with them, and he was, most of the day - with Ali and Kajol, and Sandeep too, on weekends.

Throwing off his clothes he got into bed and stretched out... Ah, now to catch up on his sleep; next week would be hectic and they had to prepare for it, a lot needed to be done over the next four days... and as he closed his eyes, for some odd reason the vision of the young teen he had seen surfing at Gokarna came floating...

That long-limbed, slender form... the longish hair clinging to the handsome face... that coy smile as their eyes had met... and after many months he felt the urge, a burning urge to let go and relieve himself... sensing the rapidly hardening shaft between his legs... surprising himself.

Reaching lower he tenderly gathered his aroused genital, and with the face of the unknown teen clear before his eyes, moaned, as he pleasured himself...

To be continued...