Page 40 of Empowered
Shyam wrapped an arm around my waist, offering a silent act of forgiveness.
“I was pretty pissed that you didn’t listen to me, but it worked out in the end. The bastard is gone because of you, so maybe we should be thanking you.” Zayn grinned, hands in his pockets.
“You’re not angry?” I glanced around the circle of men around me.
Saran waved his hand in the air. “Water under the bridge.”
“Really?” I asked in relief.
“If we got mad every time any one of us was too stubborn to follow a plan, we’d never get anything done,” Jai said.
The guys laughed in agreement.
“Jaan.It worked out in the end,” Shyam murmured near my ear, rubbing circles on my back with his hand.
“Let’s eat. I’m fucking hungry,” Jai announced as though that was that and made his way into the dining room.
Conversation flowed as easily as the drinks. One would think that so much testosterone and power in one room would stifle dinnertime chat, but not tonight. These men were tough but warm when they were not on guard. The conversation frequently roamed to inappropriate topics like hooking up with women and bashing other men’s heads in, courtesy of Jai.
Zayn was the politest of the gang. He was the most muscular of the group, with muscles barely contained by his t-shirt, yet he seemed to be the gentlest. His smile was endearing. He was considerate of my presence at the table and redirected the conversation when he felt it became too vulgar.
Shyam was at the head of the table, with me to his left. He was relaxed and actually smiling for most of the evening. He held my hand on the table when we weren’t eating and kept gazing over to see if I was enjoying myself. We locked eyes often and both found it hard to be the first to tear our gaze away.
I saw glimpses of us in the future as we sat together with friends—married and hosting dinner parties just like this in our home. Maybe our children would be upstairs while we entertained our guests, and we would sneak away to check on them as they slept soundly in their warm beds. Jesus, I had itbad for him!
My belly was stuffed from the delicious meal. Raj had made his famousbiriyani—a rice dish with lamb marinated in spices and yogurt. The meat was so tender, and the rice was so flavorful. I ate two platefuls at Raj’s encouragement to have more. Shyam was still on his staff to fatten me up after my kidnapping. For dessert, we had a dish made of sweet cream molded into little balls in a syrup that tasted like cloves and cardamom.
I lay back in my chair, unable to sit upright from the pressure in my stomach. “That was delicious! I’m so full.”
“Raj does make the best biriyani,” said Saran.
“Have you tried hischaatyet?” asked Zayn as he wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin before placing it back on his lap.
I creased my brows. My experience with Indian food was limited to the dishes I’d had in restaurants back home and whatever the staff fed me. “What’schaat?”
Zayn stared at me in shock. “Street snacks. You know…likesamosasandpani puri?”
“Oh yeah…samosas. I know about those.” I loved those little triangular pastries stuffed with potatoes.
“Please tell me you’ve had it from a street cart?” Javed asked.
I stared blankly at him.
“Shyam. You haven’t taken her out for street food?” Zayn interrogated him.
Jai laughed. “Shyam has her on a leash. She hasn’t stepped out of this house since the day he brought her here.”
The men all stared at me in shock. Then they turned their focus on their boss.
Shyam clenched his jaw. “Stop staring at me or I’ll rearrange your faces.”
“What’s wrong with you, man? She’s all this way from home. The least you could do is take her out to enjoy some good food and sightseeing.”
I secretly loved everyone ganging up on Shyam. People were usually too scared to confront him, so this was entertaining to watch. I put my hand over my mouth to cover my smile.
“You’re enjoying this,jaan?” he asked, seemingly irritated by the pressure.
I giggled. “A lot!”
