Page 47 of Pillow Talk
Shona stopped in front of her desk.
‘I am here to see Senthil Aiyer. I’m Shona Shah.’
The woman’s eyes lit up.
‘Follow me,’ she said and walked towards a broad, oak door. She opened it and all but pushed Shona in.
‘Shona Shah is here,’ the woman said mischievously and shut the door, with Shona on the other side – in Sen’s office.
‘Don’t mind Joanie. She’s…insane,’ Sen laughed, walking towards her.
He wasn’t wearing his suit jacket and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. Shona tried not to focus on his forearms. Sexy as hell.Do not look!
‘How are you doing?’
She nodded.
Sen laughed.
‘Come, let’s see what you have and let’s talk.’ He gestured for her to sit opposite him at his desk.
Shona looked around, noting the enormous size of the office, tastefully decorated in tones of dark brown and black. Sen even had a coffeemaker!
‘May I have a look at the contract? Is it hard copy or digital?’
Shona blinked. She’d forgotten Sen was there.
She rifled through her bag, pulled out the contract and handed it to Sen.
She didn’t make eye contact. Why was she so shy? This man regularly saw her naked, yet here she was blushing like a schoolgirl.
She continued to look around while Sen read the document.
‘Are you happy with this amount?’
Shona’s attention was back on him. ‘What amount?’
‘This one. The payment for your work,’ he replied, pointing to it on the document.
Shona leaned in and her eyes widened.
That was more than 20times what she’d earned at the shop and, even in a good month, with her veils.
‘It must be an error,’ she said.
‘It’s not. It’s numerical here and then written out here.’ Sen pointed to the words on the page.
She bit her lip.
Sen sensed her reservations.
‘Sho, you’re designing a dress for the Harpers. They can afford it. But that’s not the issue here. The issue is you have to see that your work is worth that and more. Stop selling yourself short. Your veils are too cheap as it is,’ he said.
Shona’s heart melted. Sen saw her work. He really saw her work. And then she remembered their agreement. Just sex. No talk.
‘I agree to that amount,’ she said.
Sen continued reading. ‘The rest is a standard non-disclosure agreement. It just outlines that you’re not allowed to reveal any details of the dress or any information from your interactions with the family. It’s pretty standard. It’s safe to sign,’ he said, handing the document back to her.
