Kajal was in the shower when Sony Charishta knocked on the door. Vikas had just got ready 10 seconds before the knock.
"That was so nice of you, Sir," Sony said after telling Vikas about the features of the first class lounge "to say that I looked like a model. It kept me smiling all the time."
"I wasn't joking, dear. You do have the looks of a model, with a body to match." Vikas said with a smile.
"But there must be thousands of girls like that in the show business who are good looking or better looking than me."
"Oh, undoubtedly! It's not an easy job to break into. Like you say, thousands of girls trying but also thousands of them doing it successfully. It's a big market."
She led him out the door and down two decks "That is the gym, Sir. well-equipped and open 24 hours. Shall I show you all the facilities in here?"
"No, thank you, Sony. I am going to use it regularly I am sure, but right now I don't fancy smelling stale sweat."
The girl smiled "I don't blame you, Sir. Where would you like to go next then?"
"On an open deck somewhere. It is about the time for the sunset, I am guessing?"
"Yes, Sir. You are right. Please follow me."
Walking quickly but without haste she led him out to an open deck and they were in time, in fact a little early, for the sunset.
"I feel too lazy to go bring my camera" Vikas said "but I think it will be a lovely sunset. I hope we get one just as nice tomorrow."
"Tomorrow will be even better, Sir, when we are out in the open sea. You will be able to see the sun dunking in the water itself. But I can go and bring your camera, if you like." She offered.
"No, thank you, it's okay. My wife would be sleeping, she was going to take a nap when I left. I don't want to disturb her."
"Your wife is beautiful, Sir. She seems like such a lovely person as well." Sony said.
"She is. I am quite lucky to have found her."
"How did you two meet, Sir, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, she worked in the modeling agency that supplies models for most of our ad campaigns, so I got to see her quite a lot and realised what a lovely person she was, as you say. So, I asked her out...and the rest is history."
"So, sweet, Sir. I think you are both lucky that you found each other."
They watched the Sun changing colour for a while. Sony Charishta didn't make any move like she had anywhere to be.
"By the way," Vikas said as he remembered something "I am sorry if the guys in my party were indecent or anything. I could see they were quite taken with you."
With her musical laugh, Sony said "No, it's alright, Sir. They were perfect gentlemen. But I do know what you mean. They were quite interested in me."
"Can't blame them, honestly." Vikas said with a wink.
"Thank you, Sir. To be honest, I have tried modeling, Sir. Here in Bali and also in Jakarta. I got some assignments and they turned out nice. But my face is my problem. It works very well with Indian tourists but not in the local ad campaigns. I come from an Indian mother and Indonesian father. And my look, as you may have noticed, is quite Indian."
"Yes, it's quite Indian and very beautiful." Vikas agreed "You would have better luck in an Indian market."
"Do you really think I could get a modeling job in India, Sir?" Sony seemed to be very keen on the topic.
Vikas nodded as he sat down on a lounger, sideways with his feet on the deck "Definitely from your look, but it's a dirty business. There's a whole culture of...casting couch...that you will have to deal with."
"Oh, that's not unique to India, Sir. Here also it's the same culture, photographers and top bosses expect girls to be good to them if they want the assignments."
She sat down on the next lounger facing him, with her feet on the deck as well, but with her legs open. Vikas' eyes were drawn to her milky white thighs. He nodded towards them.
"Your dress is short, Miss Charishta." He pointed out tactfully.
"I know, Sir." She made no effort to close or cross her legs "Why have false modesty with you, Sir? There's no point."
Even though the light was fading, Vikas could see that she was no longer wearing her little thong. As her dress hiked up when she sat, her bare pussy was easily visible to his eyes.
He smiled "I can see you are a smart girl." He didn't try to look away from her exposed, smoothly shaven pussy any more "I am surprised you weren't more successful in show business."
"It's the look, Sir. It doesn't matter that you are willing, if the agency owner is not very interested in doing you."
Vikas nodded, and let her carry on.
"As for smart, yes, Sir, I understood it very quickly. Beautiful girls who need work, powerful men who make the decision for work, so naturally we pay for what we want, with what we have, isn't it, Sir?"
"Yes, I can't fault your logic, it's spot-on whether it's Bollywood or Jakarta."
"It's not just show business, Sir. Even for this job, the girls who work in the industry understand this dynamic. Most of the girls who work in the ship as waitress or other support staff you can have them for the price of a bottle of Chianti."
Vikas nodded, he was not unaware of the social structure in the liberal environment of the tourism industry in these parts.
Sony carried on "I try not to be a cheap whore like that and being a department head for First Class Service, I don't have to be. But when we dock back in Bali, I have to report to the company owner, just like other top staff girls. And since he's married, we report to him at his hotel room."
Nodding again, Vikas said, "I am enjoying our frank chat, Sony, but you don't have to tell me all this. It's your personal life. And honestly, none of this is shocking to me."
"You are a man of the world, so it won't shock you, Sir. Same for me, I know how this world works so I don't try to change it, I simply want to use it to better my own life."
"That's as sensible a logic as I have ever heard in my life." Vikas agreed.
"Sir, I did my Bachelor's in Economics and my Master's in Tourism. And I topped both. But I know very well that if I don't spend a weekend each month under my boss in his hotel room, the next week I will not have a job."
"And I am sure he will find several willing girls to replace you."
