Page 11 of His Smile
Annoyed, she set up with a frown, letting her pillow falloff the side of the bed. “Says the man who hasn’t given one iota of himself tome.”
She could practically feel his dark smile. “Be careful whatyou wish for. You started this, now finish,” he commanded.
His voice sounded like the low purr of an engine, settingoff every nerve ending in her body into a goose bump. Rahina could feel hernipples tighten and brought her knees up to hug to her breasts. Damn the effecthe had on her, she was being pathetic and at the same time there was a wilddevil may care streak that ran through her telling her to ignore all of hercommon sense regarding Roman. To ignore the fact that she was giving him anadvancement in their unspoken game while he had her pinned with no foreseeablemove in sight.
Rushing forward before she gave herself time to doubt, shespoke. “I want everything,” laughing softly, she tilted her head back to stareat the ceiling. “I know how that sounds but it’s true. I want everything I everdreamed of for myself. I want the upcoming principal position my dance companywill be deciding on soon. I want to stare the world in its face as it watches adark-skin Bengali girl dance classical ballet, I want to someday choreograph anddirect a show of my own, and I want all of that without my parents’disappointment. I refuse to lose them as I try to make my dreams happen, soright now,” she sighed. “I make concessions.”
“What types of concessions?”
Getting up, she walked to the bathroom and grabbed a brushfor her now dry hair. “Oh, I don’t know, the concession of studying for mymasters in horticulture while dancing full-time and making a real name formyself in the dance world. And,” she stressed dramatically, “sitting throughthe occasional matchmaking meeting.”
“And how do those meetings go?” She couldn’t be sure if hewas being serious or not.
“Terrible,” she confessed with a roll of her eyes at thethought of her last one with Dev, a family friend her mother was pushing for.“I may give in on a few things with my parents but who I marry will not beone.”
The chime to her doorbell went off.
“Oh, hold on,” she said before pressing the phone to her earwith her shoulder and using both hands to quickly finish applying the mascarabefore running to the door.
“I take it that is Mario?” Roman inquired at the same timeshe opened the door.
“You’re not dressed?!” Mario complained, completely ignoringher silent signal that she was on the phone.
Ignoring him with a frown she rushed to her closet. “Yeahit’s him.” Hangers screeched across the rack as she searched for a dress.
“And Jason Davies, your current dance partner at the BostonBallet Company, doesn’t mind your close relationship with your previous dancepartner?”
Her hand froze on the top of a dress as she grinned. “I’mscreaming on the inside that you know that. But no, he doesn’t mind, they getalong quite well.”
Poking his head into her closet, Mario gave her a scorchinglook. “I’m going to start screaming atyou, if you don’t hurry up.”
“Go way,” she whispered, pushing his head back out the door.
“I’m in the business of information, don’t be flattered,”Roman stated dryly.
“Fine,” she mumbled. “Well, I have to go. Are you going tomiss me tomorrow?”
He didn’t give it a second thought. “Goodbye Rahina.”
Chapter 6
“I heard your Swan Lake performance was coming back, are youexcited?” Mrs. Gorshal asked, sitting prim and stiff on the edge of the cushion,she gave Rahina a polite smile as her dark eagle eyes sized her up from head totoe.
Plastering on her own fake smile, Rahina readjusted thepleats to her sari, smoothing them down as she lowered herself to the plushcushioned couch in front of the woman. Like all of their family gatherings andevents, it was held in the largest private room of her uncle’s restaurant,Dhaka. The large room was ornately decorated and often served as a weddingvenue. Hardwood floors, hand carved lacquer tables, textured red and goldwallpaper, and deep embroidered couches, the room was the restaurant’s biggestmoneymaker.
Making sure she didn’t slouch, Rahina folded her handsdiscreetly over her phone in her lap as she nodded to the older woman. “Yes, Iam. I can’t wait to get back on stage.”
It was true, even if her smile wasn’t. It had only been afew weeks, but Rahina was already craving the exhilarating rush of dancingacross the stage in front of hundreds of people.
“I would love to see it, maybe I will have Dev come withme,” Mrs. Gorshal offered with the faint lift of one of her dark penciledeyebrows.
Ah yes, Dev, the entire purpose of this monumental waste ofher time. Looking over to the front corner of the room, Rahina spotted Devstanding and laughing amongst the men in her family and Dev’s father. A yearolder than her, Dev was very handsome and equally successful, two traits he waswell aware of. His dark brown skin was buttery smooth, far smoother than hersshe noticed sourly. Rahina wouldn’t be surprised if the vain man had weeklymicro-derm appointments. Every strand of his black straight hair was perfectlyin place and shined as if each strand was buffed and glossed to perfection. Hishair was a direct affront to her unruly mass. Resisting the urge to self-consciouslysmooth at her wavy hair that hung over her shoulder, Rahina looked away just asDev turned to catch her gaze. She wouldn’t give him the ego boost to know shewas looking.
Turning back to his mother, Rahina resumed her wooden smile.“Of course, I’ll be happy for you to attend. I’ll make sure to leave your nameat the box office for a complimentary ticket.” Not that she needed it, thewoman was loaded.
Mrs. Gorshal gave a polite smile, but Rahina could see thespark of a thought pass through the woman’s thoughts. Straitening in her chair,the older woman leaned forward a fraction of an inch and opened her mouth tospeak, her beaded gold filigree jewelry tinkling with the movement.
Noises of greetings from the front of the room interruptedand stole both Rahina's and Mrs. Gorshal’s attention. Relief poured throughRahina when she spotted her sister, Rubina — followed by their mother and Mrs.Gorshal’s mother-in-law, the presiding matriarch of the Gorshal family. Rubinawalked across the room, acknowledging the men with a cool smile and an acuteglance as she made it to Rahina’s side. Wearing a beautiful yellow and bluesari, Rubina shined like a bright summer day. The bright glow, however, endedfull stop at Rubina’s cool breathtaking expression. When they were younger, herdad used to joke and say that Rubina had taken all of the seriousness and leftRahina all of the smiles. With full lips like herself, Rubina barely smiled,occasionally she graced only the deserving with a cool smirk but rarely eversmiled. Taking after their mother, Rubina’s face was angular and narrow, hereyes were dark and seductively cold, giving her a look of commanding beauty.
