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Isha had kept to her room for the past twelve days. I wondered if she was feeling sick or just deeply humiliated. Either way, it was my fault.
I shouldn’t have offered her a cocktail during the viewing at the stadium, but it had been a very tedious morning, with long-winded speeches, and she had looked so hot and uncomfortable that on a whim, I’d decided to make her a nice drink.
I sent my chauffeur to buy a bottle of the best vodka he could find and spiked a glass of the nimbu paani that was being passed around to the VIPs. It was supposed to be a peace offering, an indirect apology for the way I had treated her for years. I knew one drink couldn’t make up for years of rudeness, but I had to do something. We had to find a way to end this war between us. That fucking drink was my version of an olive branch, but it only made her hate me more.
I wanted to apologise for the mess I’d caused but I had the feeling she’d rip my face off if I knocked on her door. Besides, I didn’t think it wise to be alone with her in her room. Not after the way my body had reacted when she bit the inside of my palm. That little bite resonated through my whole body, but before I could react, she licked my palm, sending sparks of fire straight down to my dick.
That’s when things went downhill. But even after she ruined my new shoes by throwing up all over them, all I could think of was the feel of her tongue on my skin. That was all I could think of even twelve days later. Still, I had made it through Dadi Sa’s mourning period without making matters worse with Isha. One more day, and I was free to return home and forget all about her.
I tried to distract myself by locking myself in Dheer’s study after he went up to bed and catching up on all the emails that were waiting for me. Kirori Ji had opened a dialogue with the ruling party about taking me on, but they were still hesitant to talk terms.
“It’s a delicate matter, Hukum,” he said over the phone.
“Ask them what it will take,” I replied bluntly, knowing they were building up to a big negotiation.
“That’s hard to tell,” he said non-committally.
“How about a hefty donation to the party fund? Will that help them make up their minds soon?”
“We can’t rush these things, Hukum,” warned Kirori Ji. “I think you should aim a little lower this time. You need to be elected to the Assembly first. Get your ticket and serve the party for a bit. All the MLAs want to be the CM, but that’s not how it works. There has to be a consensus about who will lead the party, and they already have their next CM lined up and primed. He’s going to put up a big fight if you try to muscle in on his seat.”
“Kirori Ji, they’ve had three no-confidence motions in the Assembly in the past four years for various charges including corruption and murder. They might have held on by a small margin, but they are running out of time. Unless they front a clean candidate this time around, the chances of them winning the next election are very low. You know that as well as I do. And don’t forget that I don’t come alone. I have all the royal families in the state backing me.”
Kirori Ji’s sigh echoed heavily down the line.
“I’ll speak to them, Hukum. But it’s going to get dirty.”
“It doesn’t have to. If they don’t want me, I have a second option lined up. But please remind them that they will be very humiliated if their party loses the state for the first time in twenty years. Because one way or another, I’m going to be the next chief minister of Rajasthan.”
“Hukum, these things aren’t decided overnight. It takes years of working and networking to build a successful political career. They might agree to field you in the election after this one if you prove your worth.”
“That’s almost six years away, and I can’t wait that long,” I snapped. “By then, the land mafia would have taken over the whole area and they’ll choke out all the development we’ve brought about, Kirori Ji. Do you want to see the villages around Trikhera and Jadhwal become one with the arid desert? Because that’s what they want. They are driving away people who live near the borders already and the police can do nothing about it because our people are afraid to speak up against them.”
Kirori Ji laughed mirthlessly.
“Hukum, you’re very naive. Who do you think bankrolls the ruling party?”
I growled under my breath as he confirmed what I already knew. That the government was in bed with the local mafia.
“Even if you get a party ticket, there is no way this party is going to put you at the helm, Hukum. Not with your progressive ideas and plans that conflict with their own plans. Go back to your philanthropy. Politics is no place for a man like you.”
“Kirori Ji, I have sworn to protect the land of my ancestors. And I’ll do whatever it takes to fulfil that promise,” I said grimly.
Even if I had to borrow Dheer’s rocket launcher and massacre the mafia in their own homes.
“Haye, haye. We just managed to end the last war without too many casualties. Please don’t start another one,” he begged.
“I’m not starting anything. But I will not tolerate having the mafia playing in my backyard, Kirori Ji,” I warned.
“Uff, you princelings might have lost your thrones, but war-mongering runs in your blood,” he grumbled. “How confident are you about winning the Assembly election for your constituency?”
“Very,” I replied. “My people will vote for me because they want a reason to kick the current MLA out.”
“Okay, then let’s think of options other than the ruling party. How about the Pragati Party? They were new during the last elections, but they did get a quarter of the seats in the Assembly. And I’m confident they will do very well in the next elections. If you bring the might of your royal connections, you could propel them to a victory. But it will take a lot of hard work, Hukum.”
“I’m not afraid of hard work, Kirori Ji,” I replied firmly.
