Chapter 36

Aman stared at Priya.  She was blaming herself for his mistake.  He didn’t understand.

“You’re absolutely right! It was all your fault.  If you’d decided a little earlier that you were willing to sleep with me, you could’ve saved us both a lot of grief.  Dammit, Priya, you’re the worst wife ever!” Aman said angrily.

Priya started crying harder.  She knew she deserved this.  Everything Aman said was true. She turned away, feeling self conscious about crying so hard in front of Aman.

“Priya,” Aman said more gently, “I’m not an ass.  That isn’t what I believe at all.  First of all none of this is your fault.  I brought another woman home.  I slept with her.  I made a mistake.  It’s all my fault.  Second of all, I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard into sleeping with me.  You needed time. I should’ve understood.  Third, you’re a great wife, and I’m lucky to have you.” Aman smiled.

Priya turned around the face Aman.  If this is how he felt, then why had he exploded at her? Aman took a step closer to her.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for this.” He wiped away some of Priya’s tears.  “I didn’t mean to get angry. I just wanted to show you how foolish it all sounded.”

“But I caused this to happen.” Priya said.

“No, Priya, don’t you ever believe that this is your fault.  I’m the only one at fault here.” Aman pulled Priya into an embrace.  Priya tried to resist, but all she wanted at that moment was to feel better and being in Aman’s arms definitely made her feel better.

“We should head home.” Aman said after a moment.

Priya nodded in agreement.  The limo ride was long and silent.  Aman didn’t know how to break the silence, and Priya was reluctant to do so.  As a result, they were forced to remain in silence for the duration of the ride.  Once in the mansion, Priya scurried up the stairs with Aman close behind her.  He grabbed her hand before she could turn and go in the opposite direction where her bedroom was.  Priya stopped and gave Aman a curious look.

“My jacket,” Aman said, referring to the jacket of his tux that was still wrapped around Priya.

She unwrapped the jacket and handed it back to Aman.  She turned to go in the direction of her room only to be stopped by Aman once again.  She looked back at him expectantly, but this time he didn’t say anything.  He merely looked at her.

“Aman,” Priya prompted.

“You look great in that dress.” Aman said in a deep voice.

Priya blushed and tried to pull out of Aman’s grip, but he just wouldn’t let her go.  He moved closer to her.

“Priya, you have no idea what you’re doing to me right now.” He was close enough to whisper into her ear.

Priya told herself that she was angry with Aman and that she needed to stay mad at him, but he was making it so difficult.

“Don’t.” She tried to back away from him, but her legs refused to budge.

“You look absolutely delicious,” Aman whispered, “and I’d love to have a taste of you.”

“Aman,” Priya didn’t want this, or did she?

Aman’s lips were on hers before she could get another word out.  He backed her up against the wall and slipped his arm around her waist, holding her close.  His fingers caressed her lower back.  Priya, overwhelmed with passion, kissed back even though she knew better. Aman place his other hand at the nape of her neck, sheepishly undoing the fastening that held Priya’s dress up.  She felt the fabric slipping and quickly pulled away from Aman.  She rushed into her room before having a total wardrobe malfunction in front of Aman.  Priya went to her closet with the intention of quickly changing into something more reliable, but Aman had followed her into her bedroom.

“Aman, please. Leave.” Priya said upon seeing him enter.

“You want this as much as I do. Admit it, Priya.” Aman stepped closer.

Priya backed away, her hand firmly placed over her chest, keeping her gown from slipping.

“I...don’t.” Priya said.

“You can’t stay mad at me forever.” Aman said sternly.  He paused for a moment.  His expression softened.  “Please don’t stay mad at me forever.” He said pleadingly.

Aman walked up to Priya and kissed her again.  His hands innocently rested on her waist.  Priya pushed against his chest, trying to make him stop, but she put little effort into her resistance.  The feeling of his lips against hers was too much to bear. Aman turned her around and kissed sensually down her back.  It’s something he’s been wanting to do all night.  His lips lingered on her back before meeting her lips again. Just then, Aman’s phone rang.  Aman abruptly broke the kiss and pulled out his phone, irritated by the disruption.  He took a look at the caller id and stepped away from Priya.

“I have to take this.” He murmured before leaving her room.

“What the hell do you want?” He said harshly once he reached his own bedroom.

“Aman! I need you tonight. Come to my house.” Tamanna slurred.

“Are you drunk?” Aman asked.

“So drunk! Come to me. I need you.” Tamanna said.

“Shut the hell up and don’t call me. I’m not coming anywhere near you.” Aman screamed angrily into the phone.

“But…” Tamanna started.  Aman hung up on her before she could say anymore.

He went back to Priya’s room.  She was ruffling through her closet.

“Priya,” Aman said.  She turned around quickly with a surprised expression on her face as if Aman had just caught her committing a crime.

“Aman, please. Just go away.” Priya said. She knew she wouldn’t be able to control herself around him.  She didn’t want to slip up and do something that would lead Aman to believe she’d actually forgiven him.

“Will you please just give me a chance?” Aman asked. “You wore that for me, didn’t you? Obviously you wanted my attention.  Now, I’m giving it to you, and you’re resisting.”

“I didn’t want your attention.” Said Priya spitefully.

“Well, you didn’t dress like this for other men, did you?” Aman asked in disbelief.

Priya stayed silent.

“Why the hell would you do that?” Aman said.  He was trying to control his anger.

Priya said nothing once again.

“To get back at me? Was this your idea of getting revenge? Fine. Do whatever the hell you want!” Aman said before stalking out of Priya’s room.

He was angry.  Priya couldn’t believe it.  She’d only dressed provocatively and danced with one other man.  What Aman had done was far worse, yet he was the one who was angry.  Aman angrily paced in his room.  What was Priya thinking?  He shouldn’t be mad at her though.  She deserved to get revenge if that’s what she wanted.  Hell, she deserved to demand a divorce if that’s what she wanted!  Tamanna’s call had added to his anger, and he took it all out on Priya.

Priya changed into something more comfortable.  She sat on the bed, thinking about how angry Aman was.  She felt miserable.  Maybe getting revenge wasn’t the right way to go.  She heard something ringing. She looked around and saw Aman’s phone sitting at the edge of her bed.  He must’ve left it when he stomped out in anger.  Priya decided to answer it, thinking it might be Hiten going through one his crises.

“Hello?” Priya said.

“Aman! Please! Don’t you remember that beautiful night we spent together?  Meet me at my place, and I promise tonight will be even better.” Tamanna’s voice blared through the phone.

Tears stung Priya’s eyes.  This was the woman Aman had cheated on her with.  He was still speaking to her, but he’d told her it was a one time thing.  Priya stood up and stomped over to Aman’s room.  She barged in without even bothering to knock.  Aman looked at her in surprise.  She threw his phone roughly at the wall.

“Priya.” Aman said unsurely.  She looked mad as hell.

“You liar! You said it was only once.  You said it was a mistake.” Priya shouted.

“It was only once.  What’s the matter?” Aman was confused.

“SHE called!” Priya yelled.  Tears were streaming down her face.  She was angry but sad at the same time.

“Priya, please calm down.  I told her never to call me again.  Whatever I had with her was over and done with that same night.” Aman explained.

Priya tried to contain her tears, but the night had been too much for her.

“You’ve been crying all night. I’m really sorry...for everything.” Aman walked closer to her with the intention of taking her in his arms.  He stood close to her, unsure whether it was appropriate or not to comfort her.

“Get away from me.” Priya said quietly.

“Priya, please.” Aman said.  He turned her so that she was facing him.  Priya refused to look at him.  He cupped her cheek with his hand and gently wiped away a tear with his thumb.  “I’m so sorry.”

Priya pulled away from him and walked back to her room without saying another word.  Aman sighed as he watched her leave.  He looked at where his phone had fallen after Priya threw it.  He picked it up and dialed Tamanna’s number with the intention of giving her a piece of his mind.

“Hello?” Tamanna’s voice said through the phone.

“Tamanna, I never ever want to see you again.  So help me God if you ever so much as think of calling me again.  What happened that night was the biggest mistake of my life.” Aman said menacingly.

“Aman, you’re wrong. You enjoyed it even more than I did.  We had sex for God’s sake! And it was so much fun!” Tamanna exclaimed.

Aman was about to reply but he heard another voice...a male voice.

“What the hell did you just say?” The voice screamed.  “Who did you have sex with?”

“N-no one. I just...I…” Tamanna stammered.

Aman knew it wasn’t appropriate to listen in on others’ conversations but he couldn’t put the phone down.  It sounded like her husband had walked in on their conversation.

“Don’t lie to me!” The male voice shouted.

“I’m not.  We didn’t have sex, I promise.” Tamanna said.

“But you said…” Her husband countered.

“He thinks we did.” Tamanna answered.

“Why the hell would he think that? Who is he?” Her husband sounded calmer, but still angry.

“No one...he...we hooked up one night.” Tamanna admitted slowly.

“Hooked up? What, are you in college? What the hell happened?” Her husband’s voice rose in volume.

“Just fooled around when drunk. He was too drunk. I told we’d had sex, so you could blackmail him later.  He’s a rich businessman.” Tamanna said.

“What?” Aman said without thinking.

“What were you thinking?” Her husband’s voice was barely audible.  “What if he comes around and blackmails me for having a slut for a wife? You should think before you act!”

Aman heard a loud smacking sound, followed by Tamanna shrieking.  Her husband….just hit her.  Aman abruptly stood up, shocked at what had just happened.

“Tamanna, can you hear me?” He said into the phone.  No answer.  The line went dead.

“Dammit!” Aman cursed.  He wondered if what she said was true or whether she was just trying to calm her down.  He knew, as much as he hated it, he needed to meet Tamanna.

“What happened last night? You two left early.” Neha asked Priya the next day.

“I couldn’t do it.” Priya admitted.

“What?” Neha asked.

“Get revenge.  Be sexy. I couldn’t do it.” Priya replied with a sulk.

“Priya, you’re sexy. Don’t worry. Aman will see one day.” Neha said.

“It’s not even about being bold or sexy. It’s about being a good wife.” Priya replied.

“But you are a good wife.  Compared to that good for nothing cheater, you’re an angel!” Neha said, giggling.

“Neha…she called last night.” Priya said, looking down.

“Who called?” Neha asked inquisitively.

“The woman that Aman…you know.” Priya replied.

“What the hell?  The nerve! How do you know?” Neha exclaimed.

“I answered the phone.” Priya said.

“That bitch!” Neha spat angrily.

“Aman said it was only once and it meant nothing…but they’re still talking.” Priya said more to herself than to Neha.

“Priya, I wouldn’t worry about it.  I just can’t believe Aman cheated. He’s a good person.  He’s not going to keep betraying you over and over again.  It’s just not him.” Neha didn’t know why she felt the need to defend Aman.  She was the one who told Priya she needed to get some revenge, do something more than just sulk around about it.  She felt, however, that Priya would never forgive Aman if she didn’t defend him in this moment.

“You think so?” Priya asked, hopefully.

“Yeah, I do.” Neha reassured.

Aman left early that morning, feeling compelled to go check up on Tamanna.  He was sure her husband had hit her last night.  He also needed to find out whether or not all that stuff about them not sleeping together was true or not.   He didn’t know where Tamanna lived, but he needed to find out.  A part of him worried that showing up at her house would cause more problems.  What if her husband was home.  He called Tamanna.

“Hello?” Tamanna’s voice sounded weary.

“I need to see you.” Aman said seriously.

“Now? Why now?” Tamanna asked.

“Are you at home?” Aman asked, ignoring her question.

“Yeah, I am.” She replied.

“Is your husband home?” Aman asked slowly.

“No,” Tamanna said.  She gave Aman her address and rushed to make herself look more presentable.

“Hey,” Aman greeted curtly, when Tamanna answered the door.  She stepped aside to let him in and watched him as he made his way to the couch.

“Hey yourself.” Tamanna replied with a seductive smile.

“What happened last night? Are you okay?” Aman asked, getting down to business.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?” Asked Tamanna.

“Your husband...hit you. I heard him do it.” Aman said.

Tamanna’s face drained of color.

“No he didn’t. You’re mistaken.” she covered up.

“I know what I heard.” Aman stood up and walked over to Tamanna.  He grabbed her and forced her forward.  Her eyes closed and her lips puckered slightly, expecting Aman to kiss her.

Aman brushed his thumb over her left cheek.  Tamannah shivered at his touch.  She opened her eyes to see why Aman was taking so long to kiss her.

“I can see it. He hit you.” Aman sounded angry.

“It’s fine. I’ll live.” Tamannah shrugged.

“Tamanna, no one has the right to hit you.” Aman tried to convince her.

“It doesn’t matter, Aman.  Please, let’s just go upstairs. I’ll show the best time you’ve ever had.” Tamannah quickly changed the subject.

“We’re not doing anything. I can’t betray my wife again.” Aman said sternly.

“But I need you.” Tamanna pouted.

“That stuff you said...was it true?” Aman asked

“What stuff?” Asked Tamanna.

“You told your husband that we didn’t have sex.  We fooled around but that’s it.” Aman said.

“I...no we had sex. Don’t you remember?” Tamanna replied nervously.

“I don’t, actually.” Aman said.  It was true! He had no memory of ever doing anything with Tamanna. He remembered the making out and he remembers the fondling and foreplay, but not the actual sex.  Did it even happen?

“Aman, it was amazing. We were wild!” Tamanna said.

“Tell me what happened.” Aman demanded.

Tamanna started explaining the details of the night they had spent together.  Some of the details didn’t make sense.  She said they’d done things that Aman knew he’d never do in the bedroom.  If they had a wild night, he would remember at least part of it.  Everything up until they arrived at Aman’s mansion was clear in his memory.  He remembered kissing her and stripping her dress off but not much after that.

“We didn’t have sex, did we?” Aman asked.

“Of course we did! I can’t believe you don’t remember.” Tamanna said dramatically.

“I never let the woman be on top.  I always like to be in control.” Aman said, challenging some of the details she divulged.

Tamanna gasped.  She looked guilty.

“I like to be in control too.” Tamannah countered.

“I passed out that night.  That’s why I don’t remember anything.  I don’t remember having sex because it never happened.” It all made sense to Aman now.

“No! We did!” Tamanna shouted.

“Prove it.” Aman challenged.

“How?” Tamanna asked.

“There’s a birthmark I have that you can’t see right now. Where is it?” Aman asked.

“Uhh….umm I don’t remember.” Tamanna said.

“You can’t miss it. It’s huge.” Aman replied calmly.

“Oh your thigh! I remember.” Tamanna said after a long pause.

“No,” Aman said.

Tamanna made a few more guesses, even guessing some intimate places but she didn’t get it right.

“It’s because we did it in the dark, under the covers. I never saw you naked.” Tamanna tried to make up an excuse.

“Please, with a woman like you, I’d bare it all.” Aman said. “I like to show off.” He continued with a smirk.  His mind automatically wandered to Priya and how if they ever consummate their marriage, Aman’s preferences in the bedroom would have to take a back burner since Priya is so shy.  He tried to focus on the current situation, instead of Priya, but it he was finding it increasingly difficult.

“Aman,” Tamanna had no words.

“There is no birthmark. Why the hell did you let me believe we’d had sex?” Aman yelled. “To trap me?”

“No! I didn’t know you were rich til you brought me to your mansion.  I just wanted to have a fun night.  You were too drunk to go all the way, so I left after you passed out.  I’ve been dying to get you in my bed though.” Tamanna said quickly.  She looked extremely guilty. Aman was fuming with anger.

“I told my wife I had sex with another woman dammit! She hates me! And all I actually did was kiss you and unzip your damn dress! Shit!  This is so messed up!” Aman exploded.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted some fun and a little affection. I thought I could get that from you.” Tamanna said.

“Great! Thanks for ruining my marriage.” Aman said before stomping out of Tamanna’s house and out to his car.

He hadn’t slept with another woman.  He technically did cheat on Priya, but not nearly to the extent that she believes and he was led to believe.  Aman was angry but ecstatic at the same time.  He was angry at Tamanna for lying to him and at himself for allowing things to get out of hand with her, but he was glad that he didn’t sleep with another woman, meaning Priya would actually forgive him.  He was certain that she wouldn’t want to punish him as severely now.  He had to tell her!

“Priya!” Aman hollered through the hallway once he reached his mansion.  “Where are you?”

Priya opened her bedroom door and peeked her head out.  Aman saw her and just wanted to grab her a give her a kiss.

“I need to tell you something.  You’re going to be….relieved.” Aman said, careful not to say she’s be happy. No woman would be happy to hear that her husband kissed another woman.

“I went to see Tamanna, the woman I met that night.” Aman said.  “Remember you answered her phone call last night.”

“You went to see her?” Priya asked.  A hurt expression appeared on her face.

“Yeah, but it’s not what you think.  Her husband found out about...that night, and flipped a shit. He hit her, so I had to make sure she was okay.  Priya, please don’t mad. I had to.” Aman said.  He paused to assess her reaction.  When she didn’t get angry, he continued.

“She told him that we didn’t have sex. I thought it was just to save her ass, but it’s true. I didn’t have sex with her. I passed out before anything like that happened.  Priya, I kissed her and I took her dress off, but I did not sleep with her.” Aman explained.

“How are you so sure?” Priya asked, actually curious.

“She couldn’t describe how I am in the bedroom.” Aman smiled.

Priya looked down.  She knew she couldn’t describe how Aman was in the bedroom either.

“Okay,” Priya said, turning to go back into her bedroom.

Aman grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.  He placed both hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

“I know I still cheated on you. I still made a mistake, but it’s less severe than you originally thought.  Nothing happened.  You have to believe me.  Please, Priya.” Aman said.

Priya paused for a second, thinking about what Aman had just said.

“I don’t believe you.” She said, turning to go back into her bedroom.

What? What? What?! Aman didn’t actually sleep with Tamanna?! Oh snap!

Why won’t Priya believe him? Do you think she’ll ever believe him or forgive him?

I know you all enjoyed all that affection Aman was showering on Priya once he saw her in that dress ;)

Next update coming soonish...idk exams are coming up!

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