|| 03. PAIZE 1 ♥ ||
The Sophista design and photography teams led the way through the freeway. The crew accompanied with their leaders Leya and Salm were heading to the reserved venue for the photo shoot of their upcoming issue. Following the cars, in their own SUV, Jojo sat besides Mohana in the backseat.
Reading through the digital device, Jojo continued to report updates to Mohana “..the official response has been received”
“Approve it, I want it sent before end of day” Mohana stated, busily parsing messages on another device alongside
“Yes, Miss Mohana” confirming Jojo, flipped through another surface to go through an additional set of requests that needed Mohana’s input
Arriving at their destination, Mohana’s driver Carter halted their SUV. Slipping from behind the wheel, the broad shouldered, tall man stepped out to hold the door open for her murmuring with adoration “Princesa”
Giving the older gentleman a smile Mohana looked up from the digital screen “Cart, Leya messaged that the team will start with breakfast. I want you to join them. In the meanwhile I need to confirm the site and Jojo will be there shortly”
“But Princesa, you have to eat” Carter objected expressing his disapproval with the young woman he held himself incharge of
Dismissing his concerns with a wave of her hand, Mohana confirmed “We can get something later to eat, I won’t need to be here for long”
Giving her a nod of acknowledgement Carter exchanged a quick glance with Jojo who assured him “I’ll be with Miss Mohana at all times”
“Very well, will see you soon” gesturing a salute in the air to Mohana, Carter took his leave
Occupied with discussing updates, Mohana and Jojo walked through the busy beach resort. The open gallery and hallways seemed to have been already decked for the upcoming festivities. The large bedecked Christmas trees and winter themed decorations welcomed the resort visitors.
Glancing around them Jojo commented “Everything is red here, it’s Christmas even before Thanksgiving!”
“It attracts visitors” Mohana factually commented without glancing to check her surroundings
Looking at her own pink smock dress, Jojo commented “Yeah! Well People! But we are going to wait for the real Christmas to dress up at Leya and Salm’s party. They host it the best!”
“Yes, they are the most kind, and I like your dress” Mohana offered, on the side staying occupied with her device
“Miss Mohana you are the sweetest..” Jojo happily claimed “..but you’re no different, you look sexy just like everyday. My super brainy, workaholic, sexy boss! And we need to get back to these updates..”
Apprising Mohana of the current movement Jojo spoke of one of their advertisers “He wants to host an entire dinner after the event”
“Not happening, he’s not a friend, Sophista will not join” Mohana declared, while responding to another message on her small screen
Her short turquoise dress with a fitted bodice, flared into a flowy skirt from the waist. The fine weightless fabric curved along her body, bouncing lightly with each step Mohana took. On her creamy shoulders the thin noodle straps offered a mere distraction, that had been covered with waves of her silver-gold blonde hair. Beautifully manicured silver painted toes peeked from a pair of silver gladiator flats, strings of which were wrapped all along to her toned calves.
“Another request from Paul Pitar, this time he is inviting you for a tour to Dubai” Jojo informed with exhaustion dripping from her voice
The mention of annoying Paul Pitar, owner of the Sophista competitor Chanceys media house, made Mohana inwardly groan
Clicking on her device screen to send a note, Mohana sighed “Sure, tell him I’ll join..” her words abruptly coming to a halt as she banged into a dark wall
The digital screen slipped from her fingers at the impact. She felt a secure grip balance her against the steel strength of the obstacle. Soaking the warmth radiating from the muscular wall, much to the loud pounding of her heart, Mohana breathlessly looked up. Black shimmering eyes stared into her silver depths
“Hey” listening to that magnetic voice another entire havoc rushed within her. Hanging on the support of his muscular arm, Mohana stared in awe at the man who held her rescued form: Omar Shaan
Her heart bobbed at the base of her throat, staring at his magnificent presence. Unaware of the passing by onlookers, Mohana held her steadfast gaze standing against his rock solid strength.
There was a shuffle in the resort hallways. Guests and employees sneakily walked past them, stealing curious glances, inquisitive to check out the beautiful couple they made. Some wanted to check the celebrity Omar Shaan, eager to find who he held in such close proximity while others were catching a glimpse of the rare beauty hanging on his arm.
A few voices in the distance were hushed while some excitement flowed through “Oof! He is so handsome!”, “Is that his new girl friend from Fashion Trend?”, “What’s the logo on his tee shirt?”, “She looks like some movie star”, “I want to run my fingers through his hair”
For Mohana the outside world was lost being completely obscured, her focus held by only one handsome man. Her eyes relentlessly gawking at him.
Maintaining his hold on Mohana, Omar’s other hand held the device he had saved from dropping on the floor.
Playfully flipping the thin screen within his fingers, Omar was talking to Jojo “..when is Paul Pitar going to Dubai?”
Hearing his voice mention the awful man, Mohana’s fascinated gaze broke. Gulping against him, Mohana blinked. Unable to form any coherent thoughts, she attempted to free herself from his embrace.
Tugging her closer Omar checked in a whisper “Hm?”
“Hm?” Mohana whispered back hoping against all hopes, for this to not be her reality today
Murmuring something under his breath, Omar stroked her back lightly, ensuring she stood affixed to him
Mohana heard Jojo report on Paul’s message “He suggests wanting to celebrate Christmas in Dubai”
“Because Chanceys is throwing a Christmas party and the world is invited?” Omar checked with a smile
With a chuckle Jojo informed “Hardly. This is his exclusive invite for Miss Mohana..”
“Ya and I’ll send him a note” Mohana intervened, wanting to overlook the breathlessness of her own voice. Courageously she attempted to pull away from Omar’s embrace, wishing her heartbeats to calm down from running a race of their own
“Here” keeping his grip secured along her waist, Omar offered her the digital device
Looking at his muscular hand holding the device, she shook her head refusing to take it altogether “No..uh I’ll tell him later..”
“That you’re joining him for Christmas?” Omar checked swirling the device between his fingers again
While Mohana needed to get away from Paul Pitar she more urgently wanted to escape from the handsomeness that stood enveloping her. Completely different reasons, yet she was determined to keep the sanity of her breathing a priority
Mohana tried to offhandedly suggest “There’s anyways still a month to that..” her voice trailing off
“Right” considering her response, Omar gave her a nod
Turning in an attempt to free from his hold, Mohana rushed to change the subject “Breakfast? Leya said they were starting with that?”
Jojo ascertained “Yes Miss Mohana, I’ll request Cart to accompany Omar”
“Great that we’re all thinking about the same thing. I met Cart at the breakfast table, but the team was searching for you Jojo, some discussion around swim wear I guess, so I offered to come get you” not relenting his grip on Mohana, Omar gave a smile to Jojo
“That’s sooo kind of you..” Jojo gushed happily “..yes the team is planning some group time and we wanted to try winter swimming! It is known to strengthen the immune system and alleviate the moody feelings. We also have the bonfire planned afterwards! I will send a message to Salm”
“Neat, and let this be your last message for right now..” Omar gave her a smile “..breakfast will only wait for us for so long. Unlike Paul Pitar”
Jojo sighed at the mention “That man yes! But Miss Mohana and I..”
“Jojo why don’t you guys go..” Mohana rushed to interrupt “..I’ll make a stop at the site and we can discuss later”. Quickly snatching her device from Omar’s strong fingers Mohana inhaled a rocky breath at her hard earned success
“Might as well, we all enjoy this breakfast while it’s still morning” saying Omar pulled the digital device back from Mohana’s fingers
The feeling of his fingers having brushed hers, made color on her cheeks further deepen. Mohana moved in his embrace breathlessly claiming “But I have to send my messages”
“Yes of course” giving Mohana a charismatic smile, Omar spoke to the bright woman accompanying them “Jojo, why don’t you lead the way and your boss can send all the messages at the breakfast table”
“Of course Omar. Miss Mohana what would you prefer?” Jojo waited for guidance from her boss
|| 03. PAIZE 2 ♥ ||
Feeling the larger than life presence of Omar besides, warmth rushed through her. Mohana gave Jojo an assuring smile to confirm “Yes it’s alright, we can visit the site once everyone has had something to eat”
Mischievously smiling, Omar gestured Jojo to guide them to the breakfast room “Life is always better with a good breakfast”
“And love!” Jojo brightly smiled at him, making Omar chuckle
He confirmed “Most definitely, nothing is more precious than love”
Mohana raked a shaky breath, wanting to escape the company of this captivating man that was causing a disruption within her. Just when she thought she had successfully maneuvered herself from the breakfast interaction, she was now headed to it
Turning a lock of her golden hair to lay on her shoulders, Mohana stepped ahead wanting to ease herself from his luring hold. Catching random strangers from falling might be a casual occurrence for him but getting caught by him definitely brewed a storm within her.
The thought made her heart growl. Her head begrudgingly wondered how often women fell around the famous Omar Shaan for him to have such strong reflexes
Without the support of his arm Mohana felt a strange feeling of being left unprotected. Attempting to come across unruffled, she ran an idle hand setting another set of blond tendrils over her shoulders. She dismissed the entire premise, not wanting to think about his strong arms, or who all decided to fall in them, let alone the owner himself and his sparkling eyes.
Her eyes refusing to be in sync with her determination, stole a shy glance besides. Hearing Omar and Jojo discuss the breakfast menu, her cheeks flared a blaring red in admiration of his handsome looks. The dark blue tshirt under his black leather jacket was immaculately fitted over his heavenly carved torso
His hand playing with her gadget, rotating it with his fingers, distracted her gaze from slipping lower. Remembering the burning touch of his fingers when exchanging the device made Mohana look away at her own hands. Curling them in a fist she looked ahead, convincing herself that she won’t be here for long
The Sophista team sat waiting at the breakfast table for the arrival of their boss. Welcoming Mohana’s sight, the team rejoiced. Greeting her fondly and exchanging wishes with Omar and Jojo, the large team set on to starting their meal
“Hungry?” Omar checked from besides Mohana, pulling a chair from the large dining table set for their party
Mohana’s heart fluttered listening to him talk to her “No. Uh. No. I had a bagel sandwich”
“Breakfast before breakfast, I should try that too” giving her a smile he gestured for her to take the seat he held
A concerned frown appeared on Mohana’s forehead. Delectably taking seat on the cushioned chair, she couldn’t help but check out of worry “You didn’t have anything before the drive?”
Her eyes searched for the digital device to check on the time, only to realize that it was in Omar’s possession
“Six forty nine am” reading the time aloud from her gadget Omar took the chair besides her
Reaching for the device Mohana mumbled “My..”, “Pitar will have to wait” whispering he lifted his hand higher, moving the device from out of her reach, then shoved it in his jeans pocket
“I have to send a few important messages” Mohana spoke in a small complaint. She helplessly looked at his dark denims where her device had disappeared. Admiring his long legs dressed in the thick jean fabric made it difficult to peel her eyes away from him
“According to our agreement, right now you are busy accompanying me for the cover shoot. And as you have noted, I haven’t had anything to eat since morning, that might be some way of treating your cover model” Omar ruefully reported with a light shrug
She gulped feeling guilty “Yes, food..”
“Is love made edible” Omar gave her a playful smile making butterflies ran a chaos in her tummy
Recovering from his attempt to tease her, Mohana made a face at him “Maybe we can get a platter of breakfast items to pose with you on the cover and write those words below”
“Then Sophista will become a food journal but I am happy to share a few recipes to get you started” Omar grinned taking her by surprise
Mohana blurted “You cook?!”
“Sometimes” giving Mohana a smile, Omar turned to the request of the server who had appeared to take his order
Mohana heard Omar rattle an entire list of menu items. She stole a glance of his immaculate torso that was covered with the fitted tshirt. Listening to all the delicious names of dishes he was ordering, she bit on her lower lip, her tummy growling with hunger
Another server from her side approached Mohana requesting for her order “Ma’am what can I get for you?”, “Do you..” Mohana started to say when Omar interrupted “She’s not hungry, already had a bagel sandwich”
The server smiled, her eyes shone looking at Omar “Of course, let me know if I can get you anything. I am Peggy”, “Sure” Omar gave her a smile
Moving from behind Mohana’s chair Peggy stepped towards Omar. With a pretentious bite on her lower lip she smiled seductively. In a breathy whisper, yet loud for all to hear she offered “Anything at all!”, “Anything” Mohana heard him confirm
The art of whispering when everyone could hear you, seemed so utterly useless. Mohana rolled her eyes at the ‘anything’ exchange, so much for even wanting to order a chocolate milk. She considered finding another server, one that preferably didn’t want ‘anything’ to do with Peggy or her neighbor!
“Did you think about any food items?” Omar spoke to Mohana. Appalled she looked at the man. He hadn’t let her order chocolate milk in the first place and now with Peggy’s offer of ‘anything’ he wanted them to find a food item to order
“Can’t care. She can fulfill other orders” Mohana informed in a clipped tone. She had no intention of assisting them bridge their barrier and end up becoming a listener for another set of obnoxious whispers that were ‘anything’ but that
Omar said “Am sure she will. But I was thinking if you wanted any specific recipes to include with your December issue?”
From the other side of the table Mohana noticed Peggy give a smile in their direction. Her heart twisted in anguish. Frantically turning the light woven fabric of the turquoise dress between her fingers Mohana tried to steer away from any Peggy related discussion “Jojo has brilliant recipes, if Sophista wanted to go that route I’d appoint her to take charge”
Mohana didn’t want to find courage in herself to approve ‘anything’ related to the non-whispering server
Giving her a smile Omar offered “That’s awesome, I should discuss a few recipes with Jojo. Your readers must enjoy a treat once in every while, perhaps Jojo would consider including some in the feature for Christmas. My dad taught me one of these wonderful brownies, almost this big..” holding Mohana’s hand Omar drew an outline on her palm “..they are the most decadent, I can bake them for you but it’s his secret recipe so we won’t be able to share”
“Dad? Recipes? Secret Recipes? You bake?! Brownies?!” words of surprise tumbled out of her mouth
Tracing a new outline, his finger left another burning trail on her palm “Yeah”
“Yes to which one?” Mohana asked to counter his play of words. She closed her fist wanting to put a halt on the sensations her tummy was failing to gain a grip on. Though capturing his finger, the feeling of his warm muscular strength made her hand instinctively ease the hold
She attempted to inhale a breath but her companion seemed to have missed the entirety of her struggle. Omar casually responded “To all five of your questions. You don’t like brownies?”
“I..I’ll..your dad likes baking?” Mohana asked turning her hand lightly to free from his hold
“Yeah, he will tell you that it comes handy for him to keep my mom impressed. What about Jojo? She doesn’t approve of brownies either?” Omar checked keeping her captive, his finger lightly tracing her manicured nails
Crossing her leg over the other, she attempted to turn away from him, pulling at her hand again Mohana mumbled “She does. She likes brownies, dark chocolate, cocoa”
“Nice, let’s try some of these and see if we like them?” he motioned at the food the server besides him was busy laying. Alongside his previous server, Peggy seemed to have also appeared on Omar’s side to help set the dishes from his order. Dressed in the short server uniform, she bent any number of ways wanting to attract his attention
Glancing away from the server, Mohana mumbled “I had a bagel sandwich”, “Ah yes the actual breakfast that I didn’t get” saying Omar picked a brownie to bite onto
Peggy excitedly spoke to Omar “How are they? They are our most ordered along cappuccinos” placing his beverage ahead she let her hand brush across the arm of his leather jacket
Omar smiled at the server “Am no expert, really depends on what my boss likes, but I will be happy to report the findings”, “I will wait” giving him a seductive smile Peggy set the last plate ahead of him. Swaying her hips she marched away with the other server
“Coffee?” Omar held the cappuccino for Mohana’s inspection
With her heart fuming at the interaction that had just played out Mohana refused “No”
“You had coffee with that bagel sandwich too?” he checked taking a sip himself
Mohana murmured “There was flat white yeah..” tugging her hand to release from his hold “..I’ll check on..”
“It will have to wait, I am keeping this hostage” declaring Omar placed her palm on his thigh
|| 03. PAIZE 3 ♥ ||
Her fingers shyly curled on his leg. Pulling at her hand she nervously chuckled “You can’t. I’ll check on Jojo, am expecting a message”
“I can..” he hinted towards the obviousness of it all as his hand continued to securely hold hers “..and for it’s release you’ll have to have breakfast with me. I wasn’t invited for your early AM breakfast, consider this payback for keeping me waiting”
“Miss Mohana, would you like a chocolate milk?” their hushed conversation got interrupted by Jojo who had appeared to check on her boss
Consciously turning her hand against his dark denims, Mohana moved ahead to hide their clasped hands “I was..”
“I took the freedom to order for your boss, so far she has refused brownies and cappuccino but am waiting for her to try the chocolate milk” smoothing Mohana’s delicate hand Omar gave Jojo a smile
Jojo’s eyes brightly lit up “Yes Miss Mohana, doesn’t like all sorts of brownies, I hardly think she will like these, they are too sweet for her taste but their chocolate milk is nice and dark”
“Super, we’ll get her to try that and let’s see if this is a place even worth considering for us to return for breakfast” Omar confirmed
Reviewing the wide spread of dishes Omar had ordered for her boss, Jojo happily claimed “Scones are good Miss Mohana, try those. Leya likes them too! Salm said the muffins are average but the croissants are something you can taste, specifically the cheese ones”
“Ya. Sure. Did Crawfies send the revised write up?” Mohana checked on the advice column updates
Gearing herself away from the display of food, Jojo informed her boss “Yes, Miss Mohana it arrived sharp at 7, I’ll get it marked for you right after this”
“Good, we’ll be sorted” Mohana gave her a nod of acknowledgement
Giving her boss a smile, Jojo informed Omar “And Miss Mohana only likes her brownies when they are exceptionally chocolaty and baked in heart shapes”
“My dad couldn’t agree more with you, that makes all the difference” Omar fondly shared
“Yes! Do you bake also?” Jojo excitedly asked
Mohana heaved a sigh. Changing Sophista to a food journal all of a sudden seemed to resonate with the entire premise around her. Setting her hair, she distracted herself to look at the food ahead of them
Talking to Jojo, Omar moved the tall glass of chocolate milk towards Mohana. Smoothing her hand gently, he coaxed her in a whisper “Hm”. With no more fight left within her, Mohana gave in to her growling tummy. Lifting the tumbler with her dainty fingers she took a sip
After back and forth of discussing the correctness of cocoa and the dash of salt and measurement errors in recipes, Jojo took her leave. Moving the waffles ahead of Mohana, Omar offered “Waffles more or pancakes?”
“Waffles” mumbling she reached to take a bite when Omar picked her chocolate milk to take a drink himself
The fork slipped from Mohana’s hand landing onto her plate with a sharp ringing sound
“Another flavor?” looking at her brightly blushing face, Omar inquired of the waffles taking another taste of the chocolate milk
She gulped “We can’t uhm you’re having this?” dazedly looking at the waffle plate
“You’re accompanying me, so likely we are having this..” Omar ascertained, adding “..unless you want me to stay hungry?”
“Mhm” Mohana shyly shook her head to refuse. Picking the fork she turned her hand in his “Knife?”
“Not when you are being kept a hostage” Omar gave her a dashing smile that caused her extensively fluttering heart further upheaval
“I really can’t be held hostage, I am with my team here!” she declared confidently looking at the chocolate milk that was also in his hold
Intertwining their fingers under the table Omar offered “When a representative of your team stopped by, was I the one trying to cover up indicating clues?”
“It’s not that! There’s no covering up because it’s..whatever! I can’t care! I don’t even use a knife most days” zestfully claiming she twisted her fork to slice through the waffle. Poking into the indents of the waffle, she took a bite to almost present him with proof
“Most days? What are your other weapon choices?” he teased, slipping the fork from her fingers Omar took a bite of the waffle himself
Snatching the glass of chocolate milk from his side, Mohana took a far bigger sip. If he thought she was afraid of sharing, she would gladly prove him wrong. Resting the glass back, she smugly declared “I don’t need any weapons. I come equipped with other powers”
“I am the victim, I should know” Omar dramatically sighed for the effect
Mohana frowned pulling the fork a little too forcefully from him “I am not the one who started stealing my food!”
“You wouldn’t know what hunger is, would you? after having had a bagel sandwich and a flat white” Omar said pulling the fork back to make a bite
Mohana fumed. Her tummy growled at the mention of food making her regret leaving her breakfast unattended in the morning “I didn’t have all of it exactly! I just didn’t want to..” she halted.
She blinked and inhaled a breath. She didn’t want to accept in front of him that he was the sole reason for why she had been running away from having breakfast at the resort all along
Running his thumb to smooth her tender fingers Omar prodded “Didn’t want to?”
“Am eating. I want food. And I don’t talk to anybody when am hungry!” overriding his question, Mohana hastily picked the cheese croissant. Turning to the side she stuffed the layers of the baked treat in her mouth to block any possible communication
Moving the scones ahead, Omar pulled her closer. With laughter in his voice he whispered “Food is on my side”
Eating with Omar led to endless fluttering of butterflies in her tummy. Though her tummy nonetheless remained appreciative of the variety of food he had ordered. Trying many sweet and savory items, when Mohana was sure she had had a fulfilling breakfast, she tugged to free her hand from his hold
“You haven’t had this” Omar kept a small ball wrapped in golden foil ahead of her. Curiously looking at the treat, Mohana tackled to open it single-handedly but the ball rolled on the plate
“I open it and you’ll owe me one” declaring Omar unwrapped the treat to uncover a dark chocolate ganache ball
Turning her hand in his, Mohana quickly reached for the treat but his words halted her hand in the air “Only half is yours and you can’t cheat”
Her lips formed a pout, not wanting to pick the knife to struggle with it she declared “Then you are dividing it”
“Your wish is my command” declaring Omar picked the ball, biting on a part he slipped the other half through her lips
Frozen at his move, Mohana halted. Everything around her seemed to dissipate. Waves of heat ran through her lips where his fingers had merely brushed them
Tenderly stroking a blond tendril, Omar released her hand whispering “Wait for me”. Waving at Salm and Jojo standing a few feet away, he walked over to join them.
Astounded at the feelings running through her, Mohana looked at her now free hand. She almost swallowed the chocolate treat he had fed her. Clenching hard at the light fabric of her dress she tried to draw a breath.
The gooey ganache ball melting in her mouth reminded her of his touch, his warmth, the exchange of their shared treat from his lips to.. Mohana closed her eyes wanting to block all that had transpired.
On the other side getting up from the table, an elderly woman, dressed in a chic maxi dress, with her sparkling pink hair tied in a top knot approached Mohana. Handing her some digital prints of shirts she proudly declared “Mohana darling look at these! I stole them from Salm! Select whichever color you feel like for today”
Relieved at the distraction Mohana gave the older woman a smile “Aren’t you naughty, Leya! Let’s go with blue if he likes it, then we can do a shade of dark green font for the cover?”
“He’s wearing blue, he must like it, do you know who chose that tshirt for him?” Leya enquired, pushing her glasses higher lost in admiring the celebrity Omar Shaan standing at a short distance from them
|| 03. PAIZE 4 ♥ ||
Mohana shifted uneasily on her chair, that piece of information was something she didn’t know if her heart wanted to hear “Uhm no?”
“Ask him in your exposé, this will be another question from me, I have to make Salm jealous” Leya broadly smiled
“Yes, yeah sure, but I thought Salm liked blue?” Mohana checked curious to gather how this entire jealousy thing seemed to work
Much like the recent unfolding of Leya’s coaching with boldness and ‘The Bold List’, Mohana’s heart sought insight to unravel all matters of awareness
Leya assuringly explained “Yes, he likes blue, but he doesn’t like anything when I like it on another man! Over the weekend I complimented my grandson’s batch mate, young guy whatever eighteen or nineteen. He had stopped by to take advice from Salm for his grandfather’s birthday gift. Now he comes in and compliments my dress, so I also compliment his baseball cap but you should have seen Salm burn!”
“He wants to keep you and your eyes all to himself and he has all those collector caps too!” Mohana fondly responded to Leya’s narrative, feeling extremely confident in having interpreted this jealousy theory
“Yeah very possessive, and that’s so hot!..” blissfully Leya declared “..I like possessive men! And I was thinking we need to secure one for you..”
“No! No!..” Mohana interrupted Leya, abruptly straightening from the breakfast table “..Nothing that’s even remotely possessive! I am a journalist, I need to work and then there’s my law degree and we need to get done with this photo shoot”
With her eyes wide, interestingly looking at Mohana, Leya patted the young woman’s head gently “My darling Mohana, you’ll succeed fabulously in all you do! Yes, let’s get this photo shoot done! I am heading to the site with my team right away, and we will make you proud! Come soon!”
“Sophista will always stand tall because of you! I’ll join you right after my connect” Mohana confirmed exchanging a wave with Leya
Missing her device that a particular someone had seized, Mohana clenched her fists. She looked at her assistant standing besides the very man who seemed hazardous to her normal breathing
Alertly catching Mohana’s glance, Jojo excused herself from the group to approach her
“Miss Mohana, we have the conference room ready for your connect at eight” Jojo informed her boss
Mohana moved a hand in the air to express her dilemma “Have someone establish a secure connect because my device is not with me. It’s confusing because I think our guest rescued it from dropping and then he gave it but I think when I took it, he took it back! And then I uh I tried to take it again but I don’t have it because maybe he took it back again”
“Oh. Omar?” Jojo concluded, having attentively followed the narrative provided by her boss. Her eyes looked at their guest celebrity, Omar Shaan who stood few steps away surrounded by their team members
“Ya” exhaling a helpless sigh Mohana looked in the same direction. Realizing Peggy’s presence besides Omar she blurted “What is she doing there?”
“I don’t know..” Jojo thoughtfully murmured “..she is Peggy and she offered our guest ‘anything’ in a sort of a whisper but we all heard that whisper. It was troubling. Very irksome. I will have to ask Leya for guidance”
Mohana released a sigh at Peggy’s weird no-whisper technique. Glad to realize she wasn’t the only one to have discovered this, she shared the sentiment “Yeah, same thing happened here too. Let’s forget her. Can we get that connection established?”
“Ya, I’ll ask Omar!” Jojo offered making Mohana scrunch her eyes close “No! Someone else?”
“Why? Already plans to replace me?” they heard his velvety rich voice
Looking at her boss then Omar, Jojo gave a wide smile “You are so funny! But glad you’re here Miss Mohana has a connect at eight and we didn’t want to disturb you so we were trying to think who at the resort can help establish a secure connection”
“I can help..” the three of them turned to see Peggy volunteer “..the telecom room! I know all of the boys there. It would be only a few minutes and we can get your call sorted” she happily moved closer to Omar, swaying back and forth in her short dress
“That would be awesome!..” Jojo forced a smile “..but! now that Omar’s here he can give the device to my boss and we should be good”
Peggy looked at Mohana in utter shock then at Omar “Oh! She’s the boss?”
“Of course” Omar drawled with Jojo jumping alongside to declare “Yes and she’s the best of..”
“Jojo, we’re good” Mohana gave a small smile to her assistant requesting her to not run into an explanation for Peggy’s benefit
“Yes Ma’am! I’ll take you to your room” for a rare occurrence keeping the stranger Peggy into account, Jojo didn’t take her name
Keeping her chin up, turning determinedly away from Peggy, Jojo guided Mohana towards the elevator banks
Leaning closer to Mohana, Jojo whispered in hushed tones “We are in their executive suite on the tenth floor”
“Alright but I still need the digi” Mohana informed in a whisper of her own
“Ya. Omar’s with us, but she’s coming with us too!” Jojo’s whisper held a complaint, making Mohana frown “Why?”
“I don’t think I understand completely, another question for Leya” Jojo confirmed matter of factly
Inhaling a ragged breath Mohana whispered the actual concern “But why is he coming?”
“Oh, because we have the same suite” Jojo informed as secretively as she could
Taken by utter surprise, Mohana exclaimed “This place doesn’t have more rooms?!” her feet halted and just like that, her back hit the wall of strength
Peggy was saying “..I am young also! Only twenty six..” when Omar threw his arm around Mohana’s waist to balance her
Holding the beautiful editor-in-chief in his embrace, Omar urgently spoke to her “You’re alright?” his concerned voice raising goosebumps on her nape
Impulsively clasping on his arm Mohana turned around to complain “There’s a mess up..” then looking at him she hurriedly turned away. She growled at the butterflies in her tummy. They needed to sort their timing. If they continued with this frenzy her otherwise sane survival could definitely be at risk
Attempting to ignore the fuzzy flutter she found herself in, Mohana rushed a whisper to Jojo “Get me another room! Anything. I don’t care whatever wherever but this sharing is not going to work!”
“Yes Miss Mohana” assuring her in a whisper, Jojo painfully looked at Peggy who had been following them like a tail
Glancing at their celebrity, Jojo relayed to him “Omar, I have a couple of things that need to be taken care of, but the exec suite on tenth floor is waiting for you. Salm’s team has everything sorted there, why don’t you refresh and get changed for the shoot, I’ll come to get you to the site”
Maintaining his hold on Mohana, Omar gave a smile to Jojo “Sure no worries, we should be good but if there’s something that I can help with let me know”
“You’re really kind, definitely..” saying to Omar, Jojo turned to address Mohana “..Ma’am would you like to come with me?”
Mohana mumbled “Yes”, “She can’t” Omar contradicted
Peggy looked between Omar and Mohana in confusion “You like it three ways?”, “There are three ways?” puzzled Jojo looked at the dual elevator banks ahead of them
“We should get going..” Omar ascertained to the three woman around him “..there’s a connect we..”
“You’ve never done it three ways?!” not following the flow of discussion, Peggy interrupted doubtfully looking at Jojo
Jojo frowned “Here? No. It’s just been vertical, up or down”
“And the important point is that there’s a connect and we need to get on site, Leya and her team would be waiting for us” Omar declared
Jojo shared her agreement “Yes, Omar, so I’ll take..”
“The whole team?” gathering his words Peggy turned to look at Omar with her mouth wide open
“I need to go!..” unsure of the exchange, Mohana attempted to ease from the strong grip across her waist “..You guys can discuss this whole thing and inform my team later on any three way approach for us to use”
“I’m taking her, let us know when you’re ready” Omar ascertained. Slipping his arm from across Mohana’s waist, he took hold of her hand
Mohana’s eyes zoned at their clasped hands. Inhaling a wavered breath, she turned her small hand to free from his, declaring “But Jojo and I are going together..”
“Got it! So you’re not his boss for real?” Peggy asked out of the blue attempting to connect dots on her own tangential thought process
Looking straight at Peggy, Omar declared “Very much is. If I need anything I’ll send a request”, “Yes, I will wait” Peggy shifted side to side with excitement
Exhaling an audible sigh, Omar shook his head slightly. Stepping with Mohana towards the elevators Omar turned to her assistant
“Jojo, take care of your work, I’ll have your boss connected from the executive suite. I need her to be with me and we both are taking this elevator” declaring Omar took acknowledgement from Jojo “Yes, Omar”
“But I have a call in seven minutes!” Mohana frowned
Guiding her inside the elevator cavity Omar offered “And you are accompanying me for the entirety, which is a far higher priority as I understand”
|| 03. PAIZE 5 ♥ ||
“It was only the cover shoot! It can’t be the entire day!” Mohana objected with full conviction
Finding herself locked with Omar in the boxy space lined with mirrors she helplessly looked at her free hand. His reflection on the mirrors caused an equal disruption as the real him. Neither version of handsomeness seemed manageable, more so with her hand captured in his
Omar clarified “Entirety! What if Leya has us come back for the shoot on another day? The deal as I understand, is end to end”
Coming back! Her heart banged against her chest, Mohana refuted “We’re not coming back! There can’t be a need to come back! How long does it even take to click a picture of someone like you! Leya knows this, and all I have to do is approve of that one shot. It’s just the main cover, so it’s like max five, ten minutes!”
“And out of those five you already gave thirty for a connect with someone else?” Omar challenged her
Opening the entrance door to the executive suite he guided them inside. The large conference room expanded on one side to the suite rooms, while leading to a recreational area from the other. The large windows brought in an abundance of daylight on the crisp morning
Trying to shove away the guilt, Mohana rattled “It wasn’t the entirety! There was no end to end. It’s a picture! How long can it take! If you’re all of this handsome, sexy, heartthrob, it’s like a blink of an eye! I can’t have everything in the world to stop for the entirety of that”
“If? We’re not sure about the handsome, sexy, heartthrob part?” Omar countered, turning her around he held her captive between himself and the conference table
Her eyes lowered landing on his chest, with face deeply blushing she nervously gulped. Mohana inched back inclining on the table but wrapping his arm across her waist, Omar restricted her movement. The muscular barrier hindered her to add any distance between them
With a gentle touch he stroked her small waist murmuring “If?”
“Connect?..” she barely formed words “..Eight. I have to..” then her voice trailed of
“If. It is, then” his husky voice sent tremors inside her. Stepping back Omar pulled the digital device from his jeans pocket “Two minutes to eight” saying he held it for her
Setting her hair Mohana took a shy step aside. Unable to bring herself to feel his touch, she looked at the thick wooden table with far greater interest than it deserved
Pointing consciously at the conference table, Mohana mumbled “You can just um..here. I’ll try to wrap it up soon”
“As it happens I am certain. I like the table, it has it’s own set of wonderful uses but I also don’t like it the most” saying Omar reached for her hand to place the device on her palm
Left puzzled at his words, Mohana looked at the said conference table, then at the device in her hand. Without daring to look at him she took small steps to move farther into the room. Wanting to overcome the warmth from his touch, she covered her hand with the other. Making her way towards the windows, she connected to her line.
Facing her back to the room, Mohana sat on the narrow window seat. She leaned her head against the wall to desperately distract herself from the handsome features of a certain someone that lurked in the background.
Mohana stared outside at the far view of the beach landscape hoping to override the unexplainable havoc brewing inside. Tracing a pattern absentmindedly on her thigh, she was communicating on the connect “..there has to be a commitment, and am not comfortable for Sophista to sign on to it just yet” She halted listening to the other side on the line respond in agreement.
Few more minutes into the call Mohana inhaled a shaky breath, feeling almost over the ruckus that had been raging through her veins
“What am I wearing?” listening to the rich voice made Mohana get imbalanced
Slipping from the narrow ledge of the window seat she flopped backwards. Unable to grip onto a support, Mohana shut her eyes close in expectation of the fall.
The turquoise dress lay pooled around her thighs with the impact of her descent. Landing into the strong grip of his arms, her eyes sprang open. Without a care she stared at his magnificent face.
Seeing Omar again made her heart jump rapidly. Mohana breathed him in, taking as much of his scent her broken breaths could allow. Ignoring the frenzy of butterflies in her tummy, her eyes were eagerly glued to the handsome man.
Mumbling something under his breath, Omar smoothed a golden lock of hair framing her face. Bent on one knee, he held the gorgeous Mohana balanced with his arm against the wall of his chest.
When he didn’t hear Mohana respond, Omar offered a gentle smile “Leya’s waiting, we only have eleven minutes”
“Ya” she mumbled a breathless acknowledgement but showed no intention of letting her gaze waiver from him
“Do you want them to sign on the Botar Contract?” he enquired
A light frown appeared on her forehead. Botar Contract? Mohana shook her head gently against his chest mumbling “Noh”
“Why?” Omar asked signaling her with a slight nod towards the device he had rescued
Why? Why were they discussing so many other things? Mohana’s lips formed a slight pout at the distraction but giving in to him, she dreamily sighed “They’ll come to me, I’ll set the price”
Remaining busy she admired each sparkling speckle of his eyes that were looking back at her with interest
Chuckling a whisper “Calculative” for only her to hear Omar proceeded to relay her decision to the party on the other side of the connect
Keeping Mohana held to himself, Omar casually spoke on the device “It’s a no, she wants to wait for them to approach Sophista” halting on the line listening to other participants, Omar responded “Super, will let her know” before disconnecting the line altogether
Pocketing her device in his jeans yet again, Omar lightly turned a blonde wave of her hair “Your team wished you well for the photo shoot”
Mohana pleasantly smiled “My team is awesome”, “Sure is..” Omar responded “..any chance we want to give some credit to their boss too for the photo shoot?”
A frown creased Mohana’s forehead. His words flitting through her mind, halted at the ‘photo shoot’. The realization made her breathing skyrocket
Breaking her adoration filled gaze Mohana mumbled “Oh! uhm oh” haphazardly holding onto him she attempted to straighten herself
Feeling her hand burn she looked at her fingers gripping onto his hot bare chest. Instinctively her digits curled, heartbeats halted and her eyes shyly swooped lower
Running a haphazard hand through her golden hair Mohana attempted to turn away from his marvelous looks, but the strength of his rock solid arm resisted her movement “This side, your team has all the clothes in the studio room”
“Noh! I..uhm you have to wear something!..” with a swallow of air, Mohana quickly corrected “..Something! Something for the photo shoot?! Because they are waiting for you”
Haphazardly taking support of his forearm Mohana straightened herself. She quickly turned to the black narrow window seat. With her breathing running wild she attempted to focus on the wooden jamb, wishing to forget having looked at his mouth watering chiseled abs. But the persistent images of his impressive torso refused to leave her
“Yes and we’re already tending towards getting late..” swinging Mohana to face him Omar asked “..which color do you like?”
Gulping nervously Mohana found her feet to look at. She tried responding “All the colors look good”
“All colors look good on me?..” Omar checked “..Even if we’re not certain about the whole handsome, sexy, heartthrob aspect yet?”
With her face flushed Mohana nodded vehemently then she shook her head contradicting her earlier stand. Finally she blurted “Blue! We thought blue. Blue? Because of the water? Do you like blue?”
“Sure, blue. But which one?” saying Omar almost lifted her, turning them towards the suite rooms. His arm around her waist kept the petite Mohana bound to his bare chest, her feet raised inches above the floor
She fought hard to breathe, her chest heaving against his strength. Seeing his eyes appear so close lured her heart to jump out of her chest
Struggling to preserve her breathing Mohana promised “I..I will..blue. I’ll get it” placing her shy fingers on his forearm, she wordlessly requested him to ease the grip to let her feet touch the floor
“We’ll get it together” saying Omar almost flew her through the hallways
Passing through one room after another of the executive suite he had them arrive at the design room which was decked with racks of clothes and accessories
Comforted at finding another dimension to look at besides her silver painted toes or his muscular strength, Mohana turned in his embrace to stare at the stands aligned for their review. In a mere blink her feet were back on the floor, letting her inhale the breath she didn’t know she was holding.
Glancing at the variety of blue shirts to choose from, Mohana took a chance to heave another ragged breath. Selecting a fabric with a light embossed pattern she mumbled “This?”
“Definitely” sharing his approval, Omar moved closer to the rack. Wrapping his arm from around Mohana, he eased the shirt from the hanger
Averting her eyes from looking at his muscled forearm, Mohana attempted to escape from the other side. She inched towards the room exit, staring back at her painted toes with much interest
Holding a strong commitment to deviate herself from looking at him or his gloriously chiseled abs, she whispered “I’ll.. my connect? ..team? ..I’ll wrap that”
Slipping one of his muscular arms through the rich shirt fabric, Omar offered her the update from the connect he had handled “They wished you well, I guess they’re good”
Giving him a nod she gulped, then nervously she gave another nod “Uhm Jojo! I have to talk to her” Mohana took another step backwards still looking down
Casually slipping his other arm through the blue shirt, Omar left the fabric to hang open. He offered to her gradual receding figure “Ya, let’s go. I have to talk to her as well”
“Jojo?” Mohana’s eyes shot up in surprise, but they halted at his torso before being able to reach the black shimmering spheres
The blue shirt seemed like it had been carved to fit him. The fabric moulding his muscular arms, enhancing the curve of each prominent muscle. The flaying open ends of the shirt left nothing to imagination.
Besotted with his strength Mohana stared at his extensively chiseled abdomen. Her lips parted involuntarily wanting to inhale whatever she could to keep survival as her priority. After admiring Omar Shaan.
|| 03. PAIZE 6 ♥ ||
“Yeah, let’s go?” Omar whispered
Looking at him folding the cuffs of the sleeves, her parched throat croaked “Jojo?!”, “Jojo” Omar confirmed
With much determination, pushing her eyes to look at his dark black twinkling orbs Mohana blurted “Why?”
“Because I want her to check with Indigo on my calendar” Omar explained, referring to his personal assistant Indigo at Shaan Designs
“Oh. um. Ok. I’ll talk to her first because she’s my partner! And then when you do this..” Mohana waved her hand in the air “..then you can talk to Jojo”
“Do this?” Omar checked stepping towards the door of the room
Mohana moved quickly. Halting him in his step, she stood in front of him “Yes! All of this! It needs to happen first” her arms winged open blocking his way to the exit
Glancing at her stance, Omar offered “Yeah. You get to talk to her first. We can do it on our way to the site”
“This! First?” she motioned vaguely moving her delicate hand, in the air around her own torso
Omar looked at her fine turquoise dress, then into her eyes “You need help changing?”
Her face flushed with color at the offer. Pushing all the random thoughts away she adamantly declared “No! Not me.. not my dress.. you are the cover model, you need to do it!”
Omar looked back at his open shirt “You want me to try another one?”
“Not that! No! This is.. uhm blue!.. but you have to do the thing!” she offered her face deepening with color
Moving closer to her, Omar lightly traced a tendril framing along the thin dress strap on her shoulder. He gently explained “Ya, they do that at the site usually. Leya said they wanted to try a few with the it on and then without”
“No way. No. And that site, that is very far” declaring Mohana decided to take the reins to emphasize the urgency of the matter
She reached for his shirt’s button at her eye level. Fingers that were already dreading his warmth ran a whisper across his torso to bring the ends of the shirt together. His radiating touch made her digits further uncooperative. Behaving like they were made out of putty, her fingers landed against his bare skin more times than Mohana could have even imagined possible
Distraught she attempted to push the button through the eye hole. Once. Twice. Thrice. Another. Then once more. And another. Finally shoving the clasp through the intended loop she inhaled a breath of victory.
Curling her fingers she rescued her hand from the burning touch of his skin. With a shy raise of her eyebrows Mohana signaled to the button, the ‘this’ example that she had finally established
In breathless words she declared “This. First”
Omar glanced at the closed button then looked at her lowered lashes “Sure”
Holding her hand, he stepped them by the line of windows in the studio. Halting at the narrow writing desk, which stood decorating the corner of the room, Omar casually leaned against it. Inching lower to Mohana’s height he checked “Better?”
“Hm?” she looked at him dazed, her fingers all of a sudden alive wishing to touch his heavenly eyes that seemed to appear so close
Resting his hand on the curve of her waist Omar pulled Mohana closer whispering “Hm? Button? Second?”
She deeply frowned at that. Second?! Her eyes fixedly looked at his torso “Two? No! That’s not enough! You can’t just close two! It’s all of them! The site is so far!”
“I had no idea..” as if being now able to understand her conundrum, Omar checked “..so we are planning to close more?”
“Yes. Ya. Because. This. We have to. All of them!” Mohana ascertained with entire conviction. She had no sliver of doubt in her determination to see all inches of his handsome torso well covered
“Sure, we will” sharing his agreement, Omar encapsulated her hand to guide it to his barely covered chest that had a single button holding the fabric together
His touch made her fingers curl off of their own accord. Mohana breathlessly looked at his tempting muscles then at him
“All of them” confirming in a whisper Omar lifted her other hand to place on his chest as well
“Yah” gulping Mohana guided her nervous fingers to reach for another button on his shirt
Looping small discs through their eyeholes to bind a fabric together had never seemed such an arduous task. Her tummy and her heart and those deceiving fingers all seemed to have an unsynchronized reaction. Relentlessly Mohana closed one button after another on his shirt.
After five closed buttons with fingers that were ready to disown her, Mohana inched her hands lower. Her fingers brushed the front of his denims attempting to tackle yet another button when both her hands got clasped into his strong one
“We’re good?” she heard his magnificent voice check, although the tone seemed more determined than doubtful
Giving him a breathless nod Mohana eased her hands from his hold reaching courageously for the cuff. Unfolding the fabric to cover his muscled forearm she diligently closed the tie-in at his wrist as well. Looking away from his enticing large strong hand, she focused her effort on his other sleeve.
Feeling successful in having covered all the relevant areas of his immaculate body, Mohana looked up to inspect her work. Finding his adam’s apple, her heart threatened to jump out of her chest. She quickly looked down from this throat, skipping the top few open buttons her eyes landed on the first closed fastening, then the next and next. Though almost closed, the fitted shirt fabric now wonderfully hinted at all his glorious muscles that it apparently hid
Dissatisfied with the overall turnaround of all her hard work, Mohana adamantly declared “It can get more cold!”
With no regard to her own light dress that was held by thin straps, she turned within his hold to review the racks of clothes
Easing from his warmth Mohana picked a platinum colored jacket “This?”
“Neat” taking hold of the sport coat, Omar threw it on his forearm “Let’s go?”
“You have to..uhm because it can be cold so we have to make sure! because you.. you are our guest! it’s my responsibility to ensure you don’t catch a bug or anything..” for added impact she threw in “..it’s too cold for November anyways! And this entire thing is for December!”
“Ah. Entirety aspect” Omar gave her a smile reminding her of their earlier discussion from which she had chickened out
Sharing her agreement this time, wanting to convince him to stay fully covered Mohana repeated his words from the same instance “Yes. Ya. End to end”
Throwing on the jacket, over his blue now-buttoned shirt, Omar playfully checked “If you think am looking acceptable for your cover, we’ll head to the site?”
“Hm” turning around she attempted to march ahead but his hand clasped hers
Mohana claimed “Jojo..I have to talk to her”, “Yeah so do I, and you have to accompany me nonetheless” saying he guided them out of the resort executive room
♥♥….♥♥
The beach site had been effectively decked with equipment for the photo shoot. Tripods were set to capture different angles, Sophista staff stood monitoring the reflectors, blowing fans were positioned at desired angles and backup lighting had been confirmed for a seamless cover shoot
Now the Sophista team members stood congregated at the beach, waiting for the next orders from their leaders
A little distance away from the crew, glancing over at the set up, Leya stood lost in thought. Her maxi dress flowed with the breeze, pink sparkling hair in the top knot glistened under the crisp morning. Inspecting a camera case she exhaled a disappointed sigh. Her eyes looked up to stare into the far horizon. Considering all the pertinent nuggets of information that had been shared with her, Leya declared “Hmm I think she wants Omar”
“To run fingers in his hair?” Jojo enquired
“If she wants him and he for whatever reason decides to want her, likely he will let her run fingers in his hair” Leya informed her voice filled with sadness
Unhappy at the insight, Jojo asked “So we are going to keep seeing her?” motioning her head lightly in the direction of Peggy, who had been rabidly following their team around
Looking at the woman, in her short server dress attempting to talk to their staff, Leya confirmed “Very likely, unless!..” a broad smile spread across her lips “..Peggy thinks Omar is not interested in anything to do with her”
“But she keeps offering him ‘anything’..” disheartened Jojo reported “..and I heard Omar say at the elevator banks that he will ask her if he needs anything”
“Then we are doomed! Completely! I will never understand men!” furious listening to the update, Leya threw herself on the beach lounger
Cupping her chin in the palm Jojo appealed “But Leya you are our guiding force”
“You and I together! And we need to get this sorted. He has such brilliant eyes, he might as well put them to use!..” Leya stated, appalled at their cover celebrity “..Why doesn’t he see what’s right in front of him..”
“Yes, but Peggy is the one, who is right in front of him” Jojo reported with a frown
Seeing Peggy offer a beverage to Omar, disheartened Leya threw her head back grumbling “Men! Ohh Men!” then watchfully she looked around asking “Where is our boss lady?”
