I thought I should write a foreword. This is my first step towards penning a steamy thriller. Yes, 'Steamy Thriller'. I've done my best to develop a nice plot that keeps things rolling at every stage of the story. This first chapter is a bit descriptive, and I hope the coming ones will be more spicy. There are more than 20-something chapters that would follow, with lots of twists and turns. I'm sure you'll like the whole series.
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Nov 19 2005. 12.30 AM:
It was a cold Saturday morning on the streets of Chennai. The white Toyota Qualis whirred softly with a cat's purr as it raced alone under the glowing orange lighting of the halogen streetlights. It was yet another of those hundreds of company cabs that belonged to the call-centers. Chandru, the cab driver was driving the vehicle, as Charulatha sat next to him in the front passenger seat, with thought after thought going through her mind.
Like most of the days, it would be her silent drive home. Charulatha was 22. She had completed three years of bachelors study, and like every other youngster at her age, the prospect of the tech boom and the awe of living in a huge city like Chennai attracted her to that burgeoning city.
Chennai gave a feel of a big city, especially for people like her, who hadn't grown up here. It had been a few months since she decided to move to Chennai. It was with a broken heart and a lost love that she had come to Chennai, the city where people can get lost in the crowds. No one knew her there.
Hers was a face, which people used to see, remember for the night and forget the following morning. That was years back. Now, she was much different. Physically, with a fair skin colour and a slim voluptuous body, she was one of those kinds who'd make heads turn. She was 5'9", with shoulder length hair, black eyes and 36-34-36 body. She was a natural beauty. She knew that herself. She was single but she was not a virgin either. But, that didn't make her a slut. There have been a couple of serious relationships in life, which didn't work out well in the end.
She had a feeling that she was not that great at sex, but somehow people continued to look at her more like a sex goddess than a normal home made girl who would love to have serious relationships. People looking at her, was not something new to her. The very first place a guy's eyes would grope would be her voluptuous breasts as they were firm, round and eye-catching.
She never regretted for being the object of dreams for guys. She seriously felt there was no harm in letting people look. She knew that she excited people who see her and she knew they mentally undressed her, even while she was there with them or when she leaves after meeting them. As a person who had studied English literature, she thought she had a good grasp of English; and there wasn't a better way to make good use of it than to work in a call center.
Even though her English unquestionably matched her other capabilities, she'd say, she got the job at that reputed call center only because of her looks all through the selection process. She didn't mind. She simply thought, if that's the case, then let it be. She didn't mind.
Since living in a women's hostel didn't do any good to accommodate her late night shifts, she had to rent a separate house for myself. Thankfully, the salary was good enough for her to rent a house alone. Both the landlord and the landlady were good. It was an apartment building in the fourth floor.
All she had above her was the apartment's terrace. No one usually came that far up frequently. The apartment next to her wasn't rented, so there wasn't anyone on the whole fourth floor other than her. The best thing was that she could come and go at anytime. She knew some people in the lower floors, but they got to see her only when she went out for work in the afternoons. And they never saw her comeback, because, it would be late night when she finished her shift.
She always thought as if she was doing magic, appearing to leave house daily but returning back mysteriously. People were nice. To them she was doing her job, and she was left to herself. It didn't lead to any serious friendships, cos, all the women she knew at her apartment complex were married and had kids. They knew she had friends, and they didn't mind her bringing guys to her home occasionally for a coffee. Even if they thought she was into sex with every guy who comes home, she didn't mind. No one knew her that close. She was a lost face. And she was more than happy to keep it that way.
She was the only daughter to her mom and dad. Dad always gave her thumbs up to be independent. Mom was the one who got worried about her. And when there was news that a girl working at a call center was raped and killed, mom almost freaked out. It took her hours to explain her that everything was fine in the place she worked.
Even the company made it more stringent, and changed a couple of cab drivers who used to pick her up for work. Luckily, Chandru stayed back. He is the cabbie who used to pick her up usually. It was she who used to get picked up first and dropped in back at her house last for every shift.
Even though she was not that close to him, she was not a total stranger to him. He always greeted her with a smile. And never once would he start the ignition of the cab before having a good look at her body and relishing her for a moment.
It was fine for her. She knew he drove the cab whole day. If a small pleasure like looking at good looking girl made him relax and work better, then that was great really. Things went well. She never spoke much but they knew each other, except when he called her by addressing her as 'madam' when he picked her up for work.
But then it happened again, the news of the second girl having been kidnapped and raped by a call center cabbie. Mom as usual went hysterical. It was dad who supported her. He said, 'The best way to fight the enemy is to befriend the enemy'. So he asked her to maintain a balance, be friendly and become closer to them.
She really didn't know where to start in that. Even though, Chandru looked at her sexually, she knew that he was basically a good man. That made her like him a lot really. She always felt decent people deserved more. As long as they were decent and respected her as a person, she believed it is okay to give them more than they actually expect. An occasional sexual favour wasn't that bad to repay their decency, in her opinion.
People like Chandru don't crave for that, but accept or deny it gracefully even if she offered them anything like that. It was the girl's instinct that can easily grasp the guy's intentions and say if they are good or bad.
Even then, she felt there wasn't anything wrong in fraternizing with his sort. It was a cold November night, and it was almost 1 am in the morning. She was the last person in the cab. It was Chandru driving the Toyota Qualis as usual. She was in the seat next to the driver. The Radio Mirchi was blaring with some old songs in that misty morning.
"So, Chandru, how was your day today?" She started a pointless chat.
"It was fine madam." He said to her.
"Are the shifts really bad?" She asked him.
"Sometimes they are, sometimes they are not." He said in a monotonous tone.
"Where are you from Chandru? Are you from Chennai?" She asked him.
"No, madam. I do not belong to Chennai. I've been here for a number of years now. So it has become somewhat like home away from home for me."
"Are any of your relatives here?" She asked him.
"No madam. It is just me." He said.
"Where do you stay?" She asked.
"I stay with three of my friends." He said.
"Are they cab drivers too?"
"Yes, madam." He said.
"Are they good?" She asked him. It was a stupid question to ask, but she did ask.
"Why are asking like that madam?" he asked her back.
"Are you cab drivers really good? I mean, I was wondering if you'll kidnap me one day, have sex with me, rape me and kill me one day, just like what had happened in the news?" that question should've ripped his heart straight through.
"Madam, don't worry madam. Personally I wouldn't have sex with any girl, unless she allows me to." He said.
"I know you like me. I know how good I look." She said smilingly.
"I know too madam. You are one of the most beautiful women who work at our company." He said grinning.
"Thank you." She blushed accepting his complements.
"Do you like me??" She asked him teasingly.
"Yes madam." He said.
"If I let you have sex with me, will you do that??" She asked out of the blue. He was stunned, or at least he seemed to appear that way. She continued, "In my opinion, I thought, rather than letting you look at me and undress me mentally every night, and then end up getting raped one day, it would be better to simply do a favour. That way, I could keep myself alive." She joked.
