Forgetting Trisha in Bangalore

Arun's stomach rumbled. Which was strange, since he had just eaten. True, it was some shady biryani from that shop mysteriously avoided by food inspectors. But still. Or, maybe it was because he had to keep semi-bungee jumping from the footsteps of his overcrowded bus.

'Yeah. Maybe.' he thought.

But not really. It wasn't that. The problem was simply that - at the last minute - he was getting cold feet.

He supposed that it wasn't unexpected. After all, he had come here to walk into the hotel across the street, where he planned to lose his virginity to a hooker.

This would have been easier if the glass of tea he had ordered had actually helped to calm his nerves. Unfortunately, it gave him more detailed information on the brand of detergent used by the shop.

Sinking into his chair as he tried to avoid the gaze of the shop owner (now trying to advocate for some of the less moldy tea biscuits), Arun looked at the hotel in question again.

He had spent hours, peering through shady websites, stalking the profiles of escorts (they were obvious enough) on tinder, and making discreet enquiries on which massage parlors offered 'extra' services before settling on a hotel for accomplishing the goal of 'devirginisation'.

The final choice, the Grande de la Grand Hotel, Bangalore was not the kind of establishment frequented by the wealthy and sexually liberated. For starters, It lacked that excellent ability of hotel staff to pretend they hadn't seen their clients every other week since New Year's with a different woman.

But, it was respectable enough to avoid being visited too often by the police. And more importantly, the receptionist was willing to be bribed into forgetting to make an entry of Arun's stay in the hotel ledger.

So, everything was set. Everything was a go. And that's all it took for him to get stage-fright.

'She's probably in the room by now' Arun thought restlessly. He had been cautious while contacting different women. Mainly, he stuck to a couple of burner email accounts and a basic phone to verify that he was talking to the real thing and not fat Sriram from his mom's basement.

But even then, the search had been nightmarishly difficult. Two women claimed to be teenagers that were simply

dying

for a taste of his cock, but a quick cross-reference of their numbers flagged them as scammers. More men than he'd care to count had picked up the phone as well. And once, someone's grandma had answered the phone. He shuddered when he remembered how the lady had screamed abuse at him when he had asked her for a hooker.

'I mean. She could have been the pimp' he thought with a grumble. Still, the prostitute he finally asked to come over seemed legit enough. She hadn't asked anything too specific, merely a date, time and location. She also asked him about STDs and for a picture of him. He agonized over that for a long time before his dick finally decided for him.

After a few moments of waiting with bated breath, she replied to his selfie 'Aw. You look cute! I was worried you'd be some fat old grandpa. Glad that you're not! XOXOXO See you soon!'

Did hookers normally talk like this? Maybe in the movies they did, he thought with a scoff.

So, to play it safe, he'd asked her to make things easier by reaching there before him. That way, he could check out the scene carefully and then decide what to do. Or at least, he would have done that, if he hadn't been rooted here, too scared to do anything.

That plan was that it would also give her time so that she could - well, she could do whatever sex workers did before her client came over. Arun had only the vaguest idea of these things, but from the Japanese Hentai he had read, prostitutes normally showered ahead of time and put on sexy lingerie that left nothing to the imagination.

Not that his virgin brain needed much material to start letting the imagination juice flow. The thought of a sexy prostitute in black gossamers and suspenders waiting for him just a few meters away caused him to pop a boner. Shifting uneasily in his chair for a moment, he tried to wrestle with his mind. For a moment, it seemed that his will to lose his virginity would overcome his stage fear.

Then his watch beeped, informing him that it was 8.15 PM and his feet turned to lead again.

She must be in

. If he didn't make a move to join her soon, she'd think he had dipped and would leave.

Arun sighed again.

It wasn't that he had terrible looks or didn't have social skills. Girls in college and at work had called him cute all the time. His height, at six feet, made up for his slender, unimposing frame. Straight, black hair limped over his forehead and partly obscured his ears. There was not much to complain about but he often agonized over his large nose and slightly-crooked teeth.

Still, nobody made the assumption that he was still a virgin. Most of the guys were content to believe that his skills with the guitar and soft voice had probably gotten him laid.

He was also quite happy to play along with them and pretend that he just wasn't going through anything serious yet. But the truth was that his v-card was well and truly unpunched. Call it bad luck or an issue with the timing. But something always went wrong.

Especially with Trisha - everything had gone wrong with her.

The thought of his ex-girlfriend made his stomach churn again. He started to feel despondent. Logically, he could understand what she did to him, being a software guy after all. But you can't really write a few lines of code and hope that you'll stop feeling like shit. Nah.

'I can't do this' He thought, finally. He was feeling too fucked up now and besides, he was always aware in the back of his head that there were a lot of risks to hiring a prostitute.

Instead of some sexy thing in lingerie, there could be some TV channel in the room running a sting operation? What if it was all a prank by some social media influencer? He vaguely remembered that some YouTuber had invited desperate men to a hotel and then shamed them for trying to hire hookers.

Besides, ordinary people

saw

. They wouldn't say anything for now, while he was around. But he had no doubt that they'd have much to say after he left.

'Especially this guy' he thought with a glance at the teashop owner. The man was now trying to tempt a young couple with samosas that looked like they would give them all the heart problems needed for a lifetime in one dose.

"

Bhaiyya

", A new voice called out. "One

dum (cigarette)

please"

Arun looked at the newcomer. It was a pretty girl, about medium height. At first glance, she seemed like another of Bangalore's endless procession of undertrained and underpaid call centre workers. Her muted, blue kurti was typical for those sort of offices and the loose coat that hung over her shoulders was working double-time as a scarf. Her shoes were nondescript, flat chappals. Probably a backroom drone rather than a front office type.

As if to further prove his observation, she pulled down the face mask obscuring the lower half of her face. From what he could see, it didn't look like she was wearing a lot of makeup, save for a touch of gloss on her lips.

Something was unusual about those lips though. Arun couldn't exactly explain what it was but it bugged him. As he kept watching, his eyes fell on her hands as she accepted the cigarette eagerly proffered by the shop owner-

Oh shit.

It was her! Fuck.

She had the same kind of hair, and the shape of her face was similar to the hooker from the online profile as well. Dark, soft eyes that were just a touch too large. Damn.

He'd recognized her because the lips had given her away. Usually, she covered them up with a face mask on her profile. Except for that one picture where she had had them wrapped around a rock hard cock, with the caption, "I love when my daddy cums deep in my mouth XXX".

Arun remembered that picture vividly. Especially since it was the one time when he really felt motivated to write code in HTML to figure out a way to download it for his spank bank.

Time to leave NOW.

With a jerk, Arun stood to walk away rapidly and forever into the darkness. Then he remembered that he still had to pay for his

chai

.

He opened the payment scanner on his phone. But just as he tried to make the payment, his phone's caller ID lit up. He clumsily tried to decline, only to tap on the notification instead. The screen lit up to show that he was being called from an unknown number.

Quickly, he jabbed at the reject button and turned his attention back to the payment scanner.

"Bhaiyya"

Even without turning, Arun knew with a sickening twist that the word was directed towards him. With the rigidity of a corpse, he slowly looked to his right.

The prostitute was grinning at him. In one hand, she expertly held a lit cigarette and in the other, was her phone. Dimly, Arun noted, even as his head swam, that she had saved his contact as "Client Basic Package Wednesday 24.04".

"Add my cigarette to the payment too, na?" She said, in a tone that was equally teasing and seductive. She cocked her head for exaggerated effect.

Perhaps someday, Arun would tell his boss exactly what he thought of him. Someday, would also tell his house owner that even if he didn't subscribe to abolishing private property, he sure as hell wanted to demolish the shitty apartment owned by him. Someday.

But just as that someday had not come to pass, today as well, Arun merely grunted and paid for the prostitute's cigarette.

This seemed to have struck a positive note with her. With a little shake of her head, pulling strands of hair that crowded around her shoulders, she closed the gap between them.

"Hmmmm" She said as she examined him. After taking a drag from the cigarette, she offered it to him.

Arun hesitated, then accepted the unspoken gesture of parley.

"Let me guess. Urgent work? Terrible boss?" She ventured. When Arun remained silent, she added "I'd have thought you didn't have money to fuck but you paid for the

dum".

"Tvhchugftjc" Arun gesticulated in a panic. He looked around warily, but it was too late. The teashop owner's ear resembled a trumpet, and even if he continued to advocate for the goodness of his deep-fried fritters (you can even squeeze 'em out for the cooking oil at home), it was obvious where his attention lay.

He glared at her, but she merely shrugged.

"I'm tight on time here - part of the professional deal. If you weren't planning to show, I'd have tried to reschedule -" She hunted a bit on her phone here "- Client Basic Package Thursday 25.04" She added after a pause, "I think his name is Pravin"

"But since you're here and all," She said with a wave of her hands "I was wondering if we could get with the program?"

'Fuck'. Arun thought. Well. So much for not getting seen by people around. He probably wouldn't be able to show his face around here forever.

Part of him now wondered if he ought to just go with the flow and see where the night took him. But a part of him also felt embarrassed and angry at this woman for basically cornering him in public.

"Sure. Yeah" Arun said. He added, for effect "Let's do it".

She smiled at him. And even though she had just demonstrated that he was just another entry of the balance sheet for her, Arun couldn't stop his heart from yelling at him to charge across the street and leap into bed with this woman.

"So, what's your name?" Arun asked as they walked under the watchful eye of the teashop owner. "Your IRL name, I mean. Not your online thing - sexpuppy4u69". She laughed.

After a moment, she said "Hm. You can call me whatever you like. But." She wagged a finger. "Try to be creative. Too many guys think that automatically means my name is

raand

or bitch."

"Not that I don't enjoy being called such niceties," She demurred "But maybe a good starting point would be - I don't know - the name of your crush or ex?"

Arun thought about this as they stepped into the reception of the Hotel Grande De La Grand. He grimaced when the receptionist checked them out and gave him (what he thought) was a subtle wink. It looked more like an aneurysm induced spasm to Arun.

"Isn't that kind of dehumanising to you?" He asked.

The hooker exploded with laughter. No really, she laughed till she was clutching her coat around herself like a blanket.

When she was done, she looked at Arun with an expression of mirth. "You're a virgin aren't you?"

Arun stiffened at the question. But before he could bluster his way out of the question, she continued. "Never mind. It's alright"

"Although" She looked at him again. "I don't know whether to call it cute or sad that you picked lil old me for your first time"

"It's not like I had a choice," Arun said tightly. Indian society might have overcome some of the standoffishness over sex. But it still wasn't all that easy to get laid. Maybe some guys had their luck with the ladies, but most of us just had to play with the cards we're dealt.

'Even those of us in relationships' he thought wistfully, remembering Trisha again.

"Aw, my

bachcha

" She said and stuck out her tongue. "There's always a choice. Didn't they teach you that?"

"Just like," And she paused here for effect "I'm here as the adult fairy to take away your virginity instead of being wined and dined by Client Basic Package Thursday 25.04".

By now, Arun had a vague feeling that if he allowed her to keep talking, he'd find himself in a low budget version of 'Pretty Woman'. So, he wisely decided to change the subject.

"Ah Okay. Is there anything I ought to do once we, you know?" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Once we-"

"Hm?" She said "Oh yeah. We'll do some prep. Then probably do whatever your package has for you" She mimed her finger going through a ring formed by her other hand. "And then.. "

She stopped unexpectedly.

Arun, distracted as he was, promptly ran into her.

"Woahh Bhaiyya" She said with a laugh "Don't start too soon, or I'll have to charge you extra" Her tongue flashed out again.

Arun was seized by a momentary image of that tongue darting over his engorged member, caressing it and coaxing out precum from the head of his penis. His hands clenched involuntarily.

Her smile widened and settled into a smirk. She gestured "I think we're here. That

is

the room you picked out, right?" Arun followed the direction of her hand.

Room 213. Prophetically, a 'Do Not Disturb' tag hung over the doorknob.

"Yeah," he said "This is the one"

They unlocked the door and stepped inside. Despite the presence of this unusual hooker, Arun found himself appreciating their room. The wall facing outwards was entirely made of glass, allowing the occupants to look out into the street and the silhouettes of the night. The floors were covered with soft carpet that probably offered some amount of sound-proofing. There were a couple of easy chairs and a desk with a kettle. And in the middle of it all was a large, plush bed.

"Queen size, at least," The prostitute said happily, plopping herself on the mattress. "And very bouncy too" She added, waggling her eyebrows. Deliberately, she opened her legs, and bounced a couple of times on the softness.

Clearing his throat noncommittally, Arun pretended to examine the room. He fiddled with the packets of sugar kept by the kettle and debated whether to put on a cup of tea. But eventually, he crossed the floor and sank into one of the easy chairs.

The hooker stuck out her hand. Feeling uncertain, Arun reached out and placed his hand in hers. She looked at him, an expression of amusement written across her face.

"You're too cute, you know" She said "You're probably the first client I've had who was this clueless about how things work"

With a flush, Arun realized. She hadn't been asking for him to hold her hand. She had wanted payment. Mumbling an apology, he patted the pockets of his trousers, searching for the cash he had set aside.

"Hmm" She said thoughtfully as she accepted the small bundle of cash, held together with a rubber band. Her fingers flicked over the notes with practiced ease.

'She counts them better than my landlord on rent day' Arun observed.

When she was done checking the notes twice over, her sunny smile was back. She beamed at him. "I like it when a client doesn't stuff fake paper into the cash bundle".

"That happens?" Arun asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Yup" She said, carefully tucking the cash into her bag "Turns out, some men don't need post-nut clarity to use their brains instead of their dicks" She then pulled out a few pieces of clothing.

"Alright virgin boy" She winked at him again. "Since it's your first, you get to play a little dress up. Tell me, what do you like?"

Arun leaned forward to look at the outfits she laid onto the bed. Truth be told, he was still on edge. So far, it didn't seem like the prostitute was trying to scam him. But she was - well - she was strange. He always took everything he read online with a pinch of salt. But if he were to believe everything he had read, this woman would have gone for his cock like a genie lamp and vanished with a poof the moment he showed any sign of cumming.

This prostitute however, didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave. Once she was done laying out the clothes for him to see, she stood up and began to strut about the room. She checked out the bathroom, making noises of approval when she saw the tub. She peered into the mirrors and then finally settled into looking out the glass wall.

"Wanna bet that the chaiwalla uncle put a camera somewhere here to see what we're upto right now?" She asked wickedly.

Arun grunted. He heard the question, though it didn't really register with him. Right now, he was wrestling with a more important question. Was it sexier to ask her to wear a babydoll, like a girlfriend, or should he try his luck with the ah -

he didn't even know that they made lingerie that microscopic.

His face blanched at the mess of wispy strings that could, loosely, be construed as clothing.

And then there was the saree.

It wasn't a very fancy one. But it wasn't like the drab ones that his mother wore at home either. It had a soft, pinkish color palette, with flower motifs and a dark blue that ran across the borders of the fabric. There wasn't a lot of ornamentation or embroidery on it. It was the kind of saree you'd see your favorite school teacher wearing in the summer.

'Hmph' he thought. Well, that wasn't fair, was it?

Deep inside, every Indian man had a weakness for a woman draped in a saree. Call it a fetish or social upbringing, but the sight of a woman's navel whilst she was wrapped in layers of pleated fabric brought out something primeval. Add to that, a neckline accentuated with jewels, earrings and bangles that clinked as she walked, and you'd have every man around trying their best to check her out whilst adjusting their trousers.

Then, actually being able to unwrap her like a present, as she playfully pretends to resist; being able to plant kisses from her lips downwards, pulling away the pallu and massaging her breasts as they still heaved in her blouse and making your way all the way down to her near-naked legs as they slipped out of her petticoat. And then, if she were to lift her lips to whisper in his ear as he made his way back to apply his tongue on that exposed navel-

"Oy"

Arun reared back, startled. The woman was staring at him with a frown. "I leave you to decide and you sit there like my sexdoll." She scolded him. "

Chalo

. Tell me which one you want. Unless you want the foreplay to last longer than the actual sex"

Peeved at being interrupted from his fantasy, Arun jerked his finger at the saree. Peering over, the hooker frowned as she tried to see his choice. Her eyes widened.