|| 04. PAIZE 2 ♥ ||
Both Leya and Jojo simultaneously shared their agreement “Yes!”
The flurry of images tumbling through her head, made Mohana gulp. As her last offering of request she mumbled “But it’s cold?”
Leya nodded in confirmation “Yes, it’s cold. November! And then December’s like right around the corner, but don’t worry my darling I’ll ask Efe to arrange heating torches while you talk to him”
“Ya. ok. so. um. I’ll..?” unable to finish her words, Mohana moved her hand in the air
Exchanging a glance within themselves, Leya and Jojo shared their synchronized consent again “Yes!”
Breathlessly giving them a nod, Mohana turned around. Her feet seemed to have cemented her to the white sand. The resort manager’s enthusiastic wave in her direction distracted her. Heaving a sigh she took a brave step.
Clasping on to the airy dress, with her strides appearing confident Mohana made way towards the group of people collected around the ocean waves. Her innocent silver eyes zoned in on Omar ignoring the huddle of team members around him. Catching a glimpse of his dark black shimmering eyes, Mohana quickly steered her gaze away.
A flurry of greetings ran through the group as she joined. Acknowledging her team, Mohana spoke to Efe “Talk to Leya, sort the whole heating torches with Jojo. It’s really cold”
Twenty pair of eyes focused their gaze on Mohana. She stood clutching on to her beautiful short turquoise dress, her golden hair flowing with the breeze. The thin straps on her shoulders left uncovered by her tendrils, were the only fabric in sight for a few long inches on her shoulders
“Yes boss, will get on it right away! It is getting very cool!” Efe declared giving her a light bow
Bong-Cha jumped in “Yes Miss Mohana, we will help Efe! They will come handy for the bonfire too! Should we get some blankets also?”
“Yes, neat idea. Make a list and let’s get whatever the team needs, I do not want anyone from my team falling sick, more so through such a wonderful time of the year” Mohana confirmed
A zestful agreement of “Yes Miss Mohana” ran through the group and everyone scattered around getting busy to work on the arrangements
Finding herself alone besides Omar, Mohana nervously looked at the trees in the background “I was thinking uhm they are getting the torches..”
“Yeah. Any orders for me?” Omar asked
Hearing his voice made her breathing heavy. Focusing her attention on the distant palm trees she tried “No. yes. no. not like that..but that..uh” her words coming to a halt
Omar caught a pinch of her flaring dress from the front of her waist. His fingers entwined themselves in the light fabric
Lightly tugging her closer, Omar murmured “Are you feeling cold?”
His proximity bundled with his husky concerned tone made a shiver run down her spine. Her lashes lowered focusing at the mere separation between them
Feeling him so close yet far, Mohana rattled “Am anyways uh always cold? It’s my skin? My body temperature? But the torches? Um because you’ll feel cold. The team wants all of that..” she gave him a nod for substitution of missing words “.. and because it’s November? And I came because of this!”
“I have to change because they don’t like blue?” Omar asked feeling the fabric of her dress that he held caught between his fingers
Capturing a wayward breath Mohana followed the movement of his fingers on her torso as they were entwining within the fine cloth. She rattled “Salm likes blue, Leya likes blue, Jojo likes blue..”
“What about you?” Omar checked with another twirl, making the turquoise material wrap further within his fingers
Her swooped down lashes remained trained intently onto the grip of his muscular hand getting lost in the layers of her dress. She whispered “I like my dress? Turquoise? Blue green?”
“What else do you like?” he demanded in his rich voice. Holding on to her dress, he tugged Mohana, ever so slightly closer
Mohana felt a tremor run through her. Clenching her fist harder gripping the dress on her thighs, she offered “Trees? The trees? Those? They are very green” referring to the large trees that swayed breezily behind him
“What about things on the other side? Like people who work here at the resort?” Omar checked
Trees versus people? People who work at the resort? People? Mohana frowned at images flooding through her head of the short dressed, bad-whisper-technique, ‘anything’ Peggy.
Her heart painfully twisted at the realization of his query. Raking a ragged breath Mohana nodded more to herself than him. Omar Shaan was a celebrity. He was a heartthrob for the world. All she wanted was to get him on the cover of their December issues of Sophista. That was, whatever there was to it.
Courageously looking up Mohana forced a smile “What’s not to like. We are all at liberty to do whatever we fancy. Free to follow the desires of our heart”
“Sure. Good to know” the stiff tone of his words made her gulp
“Ya. Ya. It’s good. And you’re anyways fine with all of that..” still unable to say the words out loud Mohana waved her hand randomly in the air “..and everyone wants that. So. am cool. I don’t mind. I’m here to just sign off on the shoot. So feel free to get rid of them and let the team know when you’re ready. You and I are done here”
Tugging her swiftly Omar removed any measure of distance from between them “Not done. The deal is end to end” wrapping his arm across her waist he bounded Mohana against him
With her forearm landing on his chest she adamantly mumbled “Noh! I can’t..all of this! She’ll do it! She wants to do anything for you anyways”
“Who?” Omar frowned, capturing her cold hand in his warm one he rested them over his heart
“Peggy! Isn’t it?” Mohana growled, her voice filled with complain, challenging him to refuse but Omar asked instead “Is it?”
“Yes! And she’ll do all of them!” Mohana declared with a quiver in her voice, her chest frantically heaving against his
“All of them?..” Omar frowned “..Buttons? The shirt buttons?”
Ignoring the shriveling of her heart, Mohana gulped “Yah”
Searching her face, Omar repeated “You want that? Peggy?! to open all of these?”
“Ya” Mohana mumbled another confirmation. She desperately wanted to get done with this discussion wishing to put all the tremble past her
“She can’t!..” Omar declared “..because you did this”
Mohana incredulously looked up at him. She opened her mouth then closed it
With determination she informed “But I..because it was cold! You are my responsibility when you are with Sophista. Now my team is getting the torches. And. I am holding on to my dress! And we are..”
“We are together for the entirety..” Omar finished for her, clearly contradicting her expressions, adding to declare “..so I am holding you”
From her small waist Omar let his arm slip lower. Pulling her closer his large hand cupped below the curve of her back contour halting the fine turquoise dress from flying
Flushed against him Mohana nervously looked at him “Hm?”
“Hm?” Omar mumbled busily turning a golden tendril with his other hand
Breathlessly Mohana stared at the buttons of his shirt. When the strength of her gaze didn’t ease the fastening, dissatisfied she bit on her lower lip. With an utter dislike for the shirt buttons, but wired to deliver on Sophista’s task her fingers decided to take things in her own hand. Concentrating on the round toggle she severely fidgeted with the first one.
If closing the buttons had been a task, opening each single one seemed million times and more. Looking at his sun kissed chest appear with each tug and tussle made her further nervous for tackling the next one
Undoing all the clasps that she had earlier closed on his shirt Mohana announced her achievement “Done”
“Jacket?” Omar queried
Part scowling and part shoving away the pricking in her heart, she declared “Noh! Only this. What part is everyone not getting here?! It. Is. Cold. It. Is. November!”
Steering her heart away from looking at his muscular strength, upset Mohana pulled out of Omar’s hold. Grabbing her dress in her fist again she made a dash towards Jojo.
The team set the heaters to ensure a spread of sunny warmth around the site. The lead photographers got busy in capturing the shots of their cover celebrity. The chiseled body of Omar Shaan looked magnificent peeking from the slivered column of his now open shirt. From under the platinum colored jacket, the lapels of the blue shirt fabric lightly flew with the breeze.
Having personally inspected each heating torch, Leya admired Mohana’s decision “He’s got it all! The perfect tease. We don’t get him shirtless but we make his fans think what they’re missing! So you give it to them, but you make their imagination crave! Simply brilliant my darling Mohana!”
“Exactly! Even if he does a shirtless for another publication, this is ours! Sophista pioneering the trend with the oomph of subtle sexiness” Jojo smiled brightly
Leya gushed with happiness “Subtle exactly. And uber sexy! Even Salm wouldn’t have thought about this twist, he is going to get so much more jealous! This is fab! The most sizzling hottie for December! That’ll make his women fandom go crazy!”
“They are already crazy. Who’s even left? He’s crazy for them, they are crazy for him!..” hearing their boss rage, Leya and Jojo exchanged a concerned glance
Mohana further fumed “..I am never visiting this useless place again! The staff here is the most ridiculous ever!”
Her silver eyes appeared glassy intently following the ‘anything’ Peggy make a trek through the beach. The adamant server was seen carrying another tray, marching towards Omar.
