"How much money do you need to leave your job?"
The beautiful, mysterious young woman had asked the old man who worked at the Villa de Moreau. She had approached him while he was waiting for his bus one evening.
"I beg your pardon, young lady?" the old man, Francois Martin asked. Taken aback, but still polite.
"Oh how rude of me!", the woman said in a voice that could melt glaciers, "my name is Sophia. Sophia Lemarr. And I'd like to know how much money you would need to leave your job at Villa de Moreau."
"Well.... this is a very strange question Mademoiselle!"
"Ok. Let me simplify things for you. I want you to describe to me the entire layout of the Villa de Moreau. I want to know where each air vent, plumbing shaft and dumbwaiter leads. And in return, I'll pay you enough money for you and your wife to be able to retire comfortably. And of course, send your grandson to medical school, fund your granddaughter's dream of becoming a tennis star, buy that Mustang you've always wanted..."
"How do you know all this about my family?" the old maintenance worker asked, now quite nervous.
"I just know, Monsieur Martin. And just to demonstrate how serious I am, here's a present for you."
Sophia pulled an expensive looking watch out of her coat pocket and before Francois could protest, she put it around his wrist.
"Please take all the time you need, sir. When you're ready, we'll meet right here to discuss the details of our deal."
Francois looked down at the watch incredulously.
"Why this is a..."
"Cartier. I thought you'd like it." Sophia told him.
"Mademoiselle, who are you? Who do you work for?"
"I'm an artist, Monsieur. Self employed."
Francois was now bemused. While working for one of the wealthiest families in the world, he had witnessed many things that would fall into the realm of the eccentric. But even by those standards, this was amusing.
"Mademoiselle, you are giving me this expensive watch. What if I decline your proposal?" He asked with a laugh.
"That would hurt my feelings, for sure. But the watch would still be yours. A gift is a gift. And if you say yes, I assure you, you and your wife will be out of France and in Belgium long before anyone here can figure out what you did. That is, If they ever figure it out. I understand your wife does miss her home country. Imagine you and her living there in luxury, never having to worry about money again."
This woman knew so much about him and his family. Francois was a little afraid now.
"Look.... I don't know who you are or what you plan to do...."
"As I just told you Monsieur Martin, I'm an artist. And I need your knowledge to help me create my artwork. All you have to do is verbally describe to me every nook, corner and secret passage of the mansion. If you agree to help, you'll have secured your family's future. You, your children and grandchildren will have the life you deserve."
"Lady.... I..."
Before the bewildered old man could say much more, Sophia simply told him, "We'll meet here again in a few days. À bientôt!" And walked away.
The bus that Francois took every evening arrived soon after.
On his thirty minute long journey home, Francois kept thinking about the hardships hie family had been through. He and his wife Marie, had worked themselves to the bone providing for their four children. Three sons and a daughter. Even in their old age they found little respite, as their eldest son and his wife had perished in a car crash. Leaving behind their three orphaned children. Seventeen year old Edmond, thirteen year old Eva and eight year old Louis.
Ever since their patents passed, their grandparents had been raising them. Francois and Marie's other children did pitch in to help, but as they had children of their own, their assistance could hardly cover their expenses. Eva had begun tennis lessons at one of France's most reputed academies and was very good at it. Of course, paying for it wasn't cheap. So, Francois and Marie had to continue to work as hard as ever. Him as a lowly maintenance worker for the Moreau family and her as part of the cleaning staff of a local hotel.
If he accepted that woman's offer....
But what did she intend to do with plans to the mansions plumbing. Plans that would surely help one get in and out without being noticed. Her intentions were surely not innocent.
"Francois! Just say yes! Give that woman what she wants." Marie Martin told her husband as soon as he finished recounting the events from earlier that evening.
"Marie, if I do that I might be putting the Moreaus in danger. Who knows who that woman is and what she intends to do!"
"Why do you care about them", Marie asked, getting rather annoyed, "when they've never cared about you? You've worked for them for the last 20 years. But when you asked them to help us after we lost Andre and Charlotte, they simply refused. Don't you remember that pompous Claude Moreau telling you that you shouldn't ask for a handout? We don't owe them anything Francois!"
Marie was blunt. But she was right. If Francois continued this job, he would work himself into an early grave. And his family would continue to struggle. The dreams of his grandchildren would remain unfulfilled.
He looked around at the congested two bedroom, one bathroom apartment where he, Marie and their grandchildren lived. Did they not deserve a better life?
And if one really thought of it, he wasn't doing anything that could be proven to be illegal. He was simply going to tell the woman.... Sophia Lemarr every detail of the Villa de Moreau. If she did end up conmiting a crime, would he really be party to it?
The Villa de Moreau was an enormous mansion owned by one of the wealthiest families in the world - the Moreaus. Located just outside of Paris, the estate was about 400,000 square feet, while the Manor was 60000 square feet. It had six floors, twenty four bedrooms, twenty-eight bathrooms and about a dozen other rooms for various purposes.
Francois Martin was a sixty-two year old member of the maintenance staff. His job mainly consisted of keeping the air vents, plumbing shafts etc clean and in working order. This job actually paid him more than he would normally be making, but it wasn't nearly enough to pull his family out of their financial woes. As he lay in bed later that night, his decision was all but made.
"How much should I ask for?" He asked his wife after their grandkids had gone to school.
Marie didn't take long to understand what he was talking about.
She thought for a second and said, "show me that watch she gave you."
Francois retrieved it from their closet where he had kept it.
Marie examined it.
"Francois, I have seen such watches on the wrists of high rollers who come to the hotel. This has to be worth thousands of Franc!*"
"She did day it was Cartier....." Francois replied, sipping his coffee.
"She gave it to you without even knowing if you would give her what she wants. Francois, someone who can afford to just throw something like this at you obviously has access to a great deal of wealth."
"Probably. So how much should I ask for? Five hundred thousand?"
"No." Marie replied with a glint in her eye, "Two million Franc!"
"Two million? Marie, don't you think that's too much?"
"Not at all! This is someone who wants to know all entry and exit points to the home of a family of multi-billionaires. Of one of the most powerful families in the world. That information cannot come cheap."
"All right. It's decided then. But mon amour, you and I along with the children must be ready to leave France at the earliest."
Selina Kyle had landed in Paris in October of the year 1995. By now, at twenty-five years and seven months of age, she had acquired all the skills she needed to be the greatest thief who ever lived.
She was proficient in several different martial arts, was pretty much an expert at getting animals to do her bidding, was fluent in several languages, including but not limited to Spanish, French, Japanese, Vietnamese, Sanskrit, Kannada, Russian, Arabic. She was informally educated in psychology, kinesics, graphology, orientation, history, art history, gemology, philosophy, political science, electrical and computer engineering and auto mechanics. She was an astute seductress who could make men and women lose themselves with desire. She was a master of disguise who could create prosthetic facial features that looked so real, no one could tell the difference, and could assume the body language and mannerisms of just about anyone. Her parkour skills were now so developed, she could scale the highest of buildings with an ease that would leave people gasping.
Selina Kyle was ready to take over the world of thievery.
However, there was one thing she needed to do before she began her reign of terror.
The artifact she needed was stored in the vault of the Villa de Moreau. Home of the Moreau family, whose net worth was well over thirty-five billion USD. And that was as far as the world knew. Their actual wealth probably touched twelve figures.
Soon after leaving Kerela, Selina had called Gwen and asked her to find out the whereabouts of the artifact she seeked. Gwen, now being one of the most well connected fences in the world, had been able to find out who had bought it from the Sheikh in Dubai who first acquired the artifact after it was stolen. That, of course, being Frech multi billionaire Claude Moreau.
The home that Moreau shared with his wife and three children was nothing less than a fortress. It had security that could rival that of a French cabinet minister. And somewhere in that house was a vault that contained the rarest, most fabulous treasures. Treasures that were kept hidden most of the time, and only displayed when the family entertained high rollers at lavish dinner parties.
Selina had been able to infiltrate one such gathering, in the disguise of a waiter. After seeing with her own eyes the artifact she was after, she began planning her heist.
She quickly figured out that getting into the mansion would not be difficult for her. The trouble would be in getting out, along with her loot. She didn't even know exactly where the vault was located. Or of any openings into the sewer system underground, that she knew opened into the small river nearby.
She needed someone on the inside. Someone who had worked there for years and knew the place like the back of their hand. Trouble was, the domestic staff would be reluctant to betray their powerful employers. She considered the maids, but they were young and obviously hadn't been there long enough. The butler, the security personnel.... but they all seemed well paid and comfortable.
She had to go "lower" down on the ladder.
Francois Martin was perfect. Over sixty years old. Did the unenviable work of cleaning up the pipes and vents. He too was handsomely paid, considering his job. But unlike the other, he and his wife were dealing with some pretty awful family tragedy, and some pretty daunting expenses raising three grandchildren. At least two of them with talents that needed money to be nurtured. He also looked the most miserable among all of the servants. Tired and beaten down by life. He had the look of someone who would jump st the chance to escape, and would even risk the Moreaus' wrath if he were ever discovered.
Not that his involvement would ever be found out. All Francois did was verbally describe to Selina every minute detail of the mansion. Particularly every possible exit into the outside world. While Selina drew a map.
"Thank you so much for all your help Monsieur Martin. You may go home now. And here's a portion of your payment. Fifty thousand Franc." Selina said, handing him a small bag.
"Fifty thousand?" Francois asked, fearing for a second that he had been ripped off.
"You'll have the remaining one million nine hundred and fifty thousand when you're in Nice. Do you really want to carry all that cash with you? And it would look odd if such large sum suddenly get deposited into your bank account, don't you think?"
"Yes... I suppose..."
"Once you're in Nice, I'd suggest you move quickly and go to Belgium or wherever you want to go with your family."
"Yes, Mademoiselle. I understand."
"Good. I don't plan to enter Villa de Moreau before the next three weeks. So, tell your bosses you'll be quiting. Maybe make up a story about wanting to be closer to you relatives in Nice. But don’t leave abruptly. That would arouse suspicion. Give them time to find your replacement."
That evening, Francois Martin went home to a very happy and cautiously excited Marie. Their lives were finally about to change.
And in the next three weeks, that is exactly what happened. Francois let the family's butler know that he would be quitting. His replacement was found soon enough and the following week, his last paycheck was handed to him. He and Marie moved their entire family to Nice, and from there to Belgium where they started a new life. With the two million Franc that Sophia Lemarr paid them as promised.
Francois's replacement at his job was a lanky young lad with a mop of red hair and a sqeaky voice, named Andre. He impressed the butler with how quickly and efficiently he could work, and was promptly hired.
Selina had found that disguising herself as a guy had certain advantages. The most obvious one being that if anyone figured out what she had been upto, they'd be looking for a man. And because it made the men around her much less likely to harass her. Of course, the sultry siren act did come in handy sometimes. But not in every situation. There was a time to be the magnetic temptress and a time to completely blend into the background. This was the latter.
After working diligently as Andre, one night, Selina simply didn't leave the mansion. She had snuck into a hall closet and stayed there until about one in the morning when the huge house was quiet.
She changed out of her "work" clothes, stuffed her wig and prosthetics into her backpack and put on her skin tight leather suit. She had made it herself, tailored it according to her specific needs. It had pockets at just the right places to store specific items. Items that included knives, small explosives, anesthetic gas capsules, high powered battery powered electric suction cups, small battery powered drills and miniature laser cutters, which she herself had built, along with a claw device with diamond tips for cutting glass, also designed and built by her. The mask she wore had built in night vision goggles. And of course, she had her urumi in a sheath around her waist, and over it was her bull whip.
She moved across the mansion, making quick work of the alarm systems and dropping anesthetic gas capsules wherever guards were, knocking them out almost immediately. When she reached the Master Bedroom, to her surprise, the guards outside were already out cold and on the floor.
She didn't waste time wondering what had happened to them. She was going to get into the vault and then get out through the plumbing shaft right outside the bedroom.
Upon descending into the vault, Selina discovered that not only was it already open, but she had been beaten to the job. Two other individuals were already there! Filling up their backpacks with priceless jewels, art pieces and what not.
They were as surprised to see Selina as she was to see them. They exchanged looks before one of them reached for a gun. Unfortunately for him, Selina's whip knocked it out of his hand with lightning speed. She then proceeded to knock them both out. They tried to fight back but were no match for her.
She needed to move quickly now. The first thing she did was find the artifact she needed - a three feet tall solid gold trident. It was in the backpacks of one of those guys. She placed it in hers after examining it and making sure it was what she had been looking for. Then she gave herself another two minutes to collect a thirty carat ruby worth ten million USD, a flawless forty-five carat emerald worth over twenty million USD, a sapphire and diamond necklace worth over five million, a miniature painting possibly worth a few millions, and a handful of antique gold coins.
The guys were still down, but beginning to stir. She got out of the vault and reached the plumbing shaft outside the master bedroom. Using her high powered suction cups she climbed down, before lifting the lid of the manhole and descending into the tunnel below. She followed the tunnel, which stretched for well over a mile, and climbed up another manhole.
She lifted the lid, expecting to be greeted with cool breeze on her hot skin and the gurgling sound of the river flowing. She was greeted by both of those things, but they were accompanied by several guns in her face. If Selina was going to bet, she'd say these people worked with those guys she had left knocked down in the vault.
She tentatively climbed out, as a rather distinguished looking older man stepped forward. Tall, blonde with a neat beard, probably in his late forties and in a tailored suit. Selina guessed it was Savile Row.
"Well what do we have here?"
Selina remained silent and just observed the men surrounding her.
"It appears you've caused us a bit of a problem." The man continued to speak in a relaxed yet authoritative tone. His voice was deep and his accent had a hint of Italian. "You see, we were going to rob the Villa de Moreau. But you got there at the same time as our men and incompacitated them. They contacted me right after you left the vault and I figured this is where we'd find you."
He was smart. Selina guessed he would try to pressure her into giving them her loot. Her guess proved to be correct.
"Very impressive, I must say." He went on. "But the riches you took are ours. Now be a good little lady and hand them over. And we will let you go. We might even let you keep a small trinket, if you do so without fighting us. That seems fair, doesn't it?"
Selina's devilish smile as she stared right into his eyes was all the warning the man recieved. With near inhuman speed, she pulled out her Urumi. The flexible blade cut through most of the hands holding guns, causing them to drop them immediately. The ones who held on to their weapons were rewarded with broken noses and dislocated shoulders. It all happened in about twenty seconds.
The older man in his expensive Savile Row suit, had simply stepped back and watched the terribly beautiful display of the masked young woman's combat prowess. Keenly observing how quick and accurate her hits were, how swiftly and gracefully she moved. The last time he had seen someone fight so well was when dealing with an elite group of assassins. A master theif who could fight so well. What were the odds?
His train of thought was interrupted when Selina picked up the only gun she hadn't kicked into the river and had the barrel pressed against his forehead.
"Get out of my way. Take your little boys and get the hell out of here. I won't ask you again."
The man remained as calm as he had been before.
"Come now! We have just gotten off on the wrong foot."
"That's one way of putting it!" Selina said with a snicker. Rather amused and impressed by the man's demeanour.
"Well, let us fix that. My name is Frank. Frank Baz*. And I would like to offer you a position in our ranks. Now, if you want, we can get out of here together and discuss the details in a safer place. Or you can just leave with your loot. Decide quickly. The cops will probably be here in the next three minutes or so."
Selina considered taking her winnings and leaving. But her curiosity would torment her if she didn't at least know exactly what this man offered her.
"Time and place" She said.
"The Regina Louvre. Seven am. I'll be waiting just outside the entrance." He took off his watch and gave it to Selina, "Here. Make sure you wear this, so I'll know its you."
Selina took the watch and ran into the woods nearby. She got on the motorcycle she had hidden under some shrubbery and rode off.
About four hours later, at 06:55 am, Frank Baz walked out of the Regina Louvre hotel and stood waiting for the mysterious woman who had made his men look like chumps.
"Mr Baz" the sultry, feminine voice came from his left. The woman extended her hand, on whose wrist was Frank's distinctive watch. Her voice and perfect posture told him she was definitely the same woman. His initial surprise over not having heard her approach was overshadowed by his shock over just how stunning she was.
Tall, about five feet eleven, hourglass figure and a lovely face. He suspected that her red hair might be a wig. Nevertheless, she was gorgeous.
"My word!" He said as he took her hand and brought it to his lips, "you are more exquisite than anything that can be stored in a vault."
"Hmmm.... Monsieur Baz, normally I'd tell you to cut the crap. But that was actually a good complement." Selina said, smiling.
"Well, I'm glad I've flattered you. I gave you my name. May I know yours?
"Sophia Lemarr" She replied, "Now then, you said you had a proposition for me."
"Over breakfast, lovely lady!" Frank said as he led her to his private suite.
Selina was well aware that she could be walking into a trap. But what was life without a few risks? Besides, this Frank Baz genuinely intrigued her. She wanted to know what he had for her.
A man, probably over fifty took her coat when she entered.
"This is Wilder*, Ms Lemarr. My butler"
"How do you do!" Wilder greeted her politely. Sophia responded with an equally polite nod.
As they ate breakfast, Frank made his offer.
"Sophia, I am a member of the most elite organisation of thieves in the world. My offer is simply that you join us."
"Right. Does your organisation have a name?"
"Formally? No. But we have been called "The Spider"** by the few who have known of our existence."
"I'm waiting to be impressed, Frank."
"We've taken millions from individuals and billions from corporates and countries. We may take contracts occasionally. But mostly we plan our own heists. And we've never failed"
"Until just a few hours ago" Sophia said matter of factly.
"True. However, the cops have never gotten to us."
"Didn't two of your men get arrested last night?"
"No, my dear. They broke free. Those two are highly trained combatants and escape artists. Among the best thieves I've ever worked with. Which is what makes your takedown of them all the more impressive."
"But why should I join your organisation, Frank? As you just said, I took down two of your best thieves. It seems to me that I'll be better off going solo."
"Sophia, going solo will allow you to execute multi-million dollar heists. But if you are with us, you'll be in a completely different league of thieves. You'll be planning and executing heists that can fetch billions. All the wealth you can ever dream of will be at your feet. And of course, you have to understand that an organisation as powerful as ours does not tolerate competition of any kind."
"And if I were to go solo, I'll become your competition. That sounds like a threat."
"It doesn't have to be, my beauty. We can work together very cordially. A theif of your calibre will enjoy a significant level of autonomy. You will report directly to me and will be in charge of any score you pull. You'll have power and great respect among your peers. And of course, you'll be better protected from law enforcement."
"That does sound..... interesting. But how do I know you guys really are as big as you say you are? For all I know, you might be trying to leach off of my skills."
Frank laughed at this and replied, "Darling if we truly are just a bunch of weaklings trying to ride your coat tails, it wouldn't be difficult for you to deal with us. But what if we aren't?"
"Ok Frank, my interest is now truly piqued. I'll be busy for a next few days. After that, we can meet up and discuss this further."
"Of course, by all means. Let's meet a week from now. Same time, same place. Sound good?"
"Sure!" Selina said as she finished her chocolate creme bruleè "But Frank, what about that emerald and that ruby you took out of my backpack last night? You know, when I was taking your boys to school."
"Ah yes! The jewels! I'll hold on to them for now. You will have them back when we have our next rendezvous."
Dammit! Those two stones were worth tens of millions. Plus this Frank was damn good. Selina didn't even know at what point the man had reached into her bag. She only discovered that they were missing when she got back into the basement of the house she was renting. She did still have the gold trident though. That was important.
"See you in a week then!" Sophia said, getting up.
"I look forward to a long and fruitful business relationship with you, Sophia Lemarr. If that is indeed your name."
Selina burst out laughing. This Frank really was good. Interestingly, in spite of his smoothness, suave mannerisms and an apparent silver tongue, he did not come across as a creep.
"I'll be wearing the watch you gave me. So you know it's me."
"Will I not know you by just looking at your face?"
"Don't be so sure!" She told him. It was now Frank's turn to be caught off guard.
As she chartered plane she had boarded took her back to India, Selina thought of the conversation she had had with Meenakshi Gurukkal, Amma, one evening after she had offered her prayers in the temple located within her establishment.
"This temple was built about a thousand years ago, Elva" the old woman had told her, before recounting the way it had survived several waves of invaders bent on looting and destroying it.
"Amma, I've been curious about something." Selina had said to her, "Ma Durga's trident is made of iron while her sword and other weapons are made of gold. How come?"
Amma sighed and told her, "Her trident was gold as well. But it was taken. Stolen by a bunch of rascals, about thirty years ago. They would have taken all her weapons and her ornaments, but my late husband and I were able to stop them. They did manage to escape with the gold trident."
"I'm so sorry, Amma" Selina said, experiencing a moment of genuine regret. Were those who disrespect the Goddess really all that different from her? Not wanting to dwell on that, she asked "would you know where they must have taken it?"
"I know where they took it, child! I've seen in on television. You see, a few years ago, some news channel was doing a documentary on the lifestyle of UAE's Emirs. One of them, Sheikh Abu Bin Muhammad, was showing off his collection of antiques. And among them, I saw Ma Durga's trident. It was only on screen for a second, but I could recognize it anywhere. I contacted the authorities, our External Affairs Ministry got involved. Our Embassy demanded that the artifact be returned, but the Sheikh claimed that he no longer had it. As it had been stolen. How convenient!"
"Amma, what did the trident look like?"
"Exactly like the one in the Goddess's hand right now. Only that one is golden."
Right after her training under Shankar Upadhyaya ended, she told Grace all about the trident and asked if she could track it down. Grace Altamont, who had by now built an enormous network of thieves, smugglers and fences was able to find out that the trident had been sold to the Moreau family of France.
Selina entered the temple barefoot. She carefully removed the iron trident from the Goddess's hands and after placing it at her feet, replaced it with the original golden one.
"Thank you, Elva"
Amma's voice startled her. She turned around and saw her Guru standing right there.
"Amma... hi!" Elva said sheepishly, "how did you know I was here? I thought I was quiet, and I thought you'd be asleep at this hour."
"Well child, about fifteen minutes ago, I recieved a phone call from Dr Mukherjee. She said she found a stack of currency notes under her pillow. A sum of one million rupees. And she said to me, 'Meenakshi, I have a feeling that it was Elva. Is she back in town?' And I just knew you'd be stopping by here as well."
"Amma, I've never been good with goodbyes and thank yous..... but I wanted to give both of you something. In return for everything you've done for me. My Guru Dakshina* to you."
"And we both appreciate your gifts Elva."
Amma looked at Durga's idol and joined her hands in silent prayer. She then turned to Elva and said, "Thank you, Elva. I cannot put in words what you have done for me. For years, I was haunted by shame over allowing the desecration of this temple. But what you've done... it has washed away all my shame. Thank you!"
"Amma, it's nothing. I just...."
"Did you go though a lot of trouble for this? Did you put yourself in danger, Elva?"
Like a child embarrassed over being praised, Elva just looked down and shrugged slightly.
"I don't know who you are. Or what you want from life. But I know that you are strong, kind and pure of heart. Don't you ever forget that, girl!"
Selina bent down and touched Amma's feet, an Indian gesture of showing respect to one's elders. Amma placed a hand on her head and gave Elva her blessings.
"I pray Elva, that one day you will see the beauty in you that I can see."
Raghav Trivedi woke up early in the morning and was greeted with the most beautiful surprise he could imagine. Elva Barr sat on a chair right next to his bed.
"Elva... what...?"
"Sorry!" Elva said, smiling impishly "I just let myself in. I hope you don't mind."
"Um.... no! But this certainly is.... unexpected. " Raghav said, genuinely glad to see her again. He didn't think he would.
"I'm gonna be here till Monday morning. And I thought I'd spend the weekend on an extended date with you. That is, if the offer still stands."
"Still stands!" Raghav said jumping out of bed.
The two of them spent the weekend enjoying the natural beauty of Kerela - the state known as God's own country.
Selina partook in activities for which she hadn't found time during her training. Rowed a boat in the Alleppey, massaged elephants at the Punnathur Kotta Elephant Yard, visited temples and forts going back thousands of years, tried delicious Kerallite cousine. For years thereafter, this would remain the only real date she would go one. One whose purpose wasn't to gain information or manipulate, but to simply spend time with someone she as fond of.
Inevitably, she ended up in Raghav's arms, his lips locked with hers.
"Who are you, Elva?" He asked, as he held her, "who are you really?"
Selina looked into Raghav's eyes. It scared her how easily she could get used to this. To Raghav, to a life with him. But as always, she would silently chastise herself for even entertaining such ridiculous thoughts.
"Raghav, you're better off not knowing." She told him.
"Is Elva your real name?"
Selina simply shook her head in a negative before kissing his lips again. Partly out of desire for him, and partly out of fear of any other questions that may come out of his lips.
Sure enough, they ended up in bed together. It had been building for a long time, and now as neither of them were bound by any vows of celibacy, they could finally let their passions loose.
Selina couldn't remember the last time a man had made love to her that way. Because no man ever truly had. She had fucked and thoroughly enjoyed fucking. But the experience with Raghav was an impossible mixture of romantic tenderness and carnal hunger.
Finally, after he had entered her three times, Selina and Raghav rested in each other's arms. Once again she felt how easy it would be to just stay there. And once again she had to remind herself that this life wasn't for her.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, she kissed Raghav's cheek and said "I won't be here when you wake up."
Unfazed and unsurprised, he stroked her hair and replied, "I know."