The Story of Meera

3 months passed by.

Meera now had enough money to buy a house and a car. She left Emerald palace to move into her new apartment. For the first time in many days, she felt free and happy. She continued to work for Adil. Her tolerance for pain and extreme sexual acts earned her a lot of money.

Aryan received a phone call. It was Meera.

"Yes, Meera," he said, "Tell me."

"Any update on Sharon?" she asked.

"Well," Aryan said, "She is a slippery one. The news is that her mother passed away due to an illness a few days ago. Now she has 2 younger siblings to take care of. But she had fled with her siblings. My men are looking for her now. No one seems to know where exactly she may have gone, she could be anywhere in the world, that's why it is taking time. The social media profiles of her siblings are under the scanner. I am sure one of them will slip up and give up their new location. But I'll let you know as soon as I have concrete information."

"Alright..." she said, "Where are you right now?"

"At home," he said, "Why do you ask?"

"Because you are coming over for dinner tonight at my place," Meera said.

"Thanks Meera," he said politely, "But it's really not necessary."

"Drop your Aryan and get out of your house," she ordered him, "I'm waiting for you outside."

Aryan reluctantly got out of his house. He was surprised to see Meera driving a brand-new car. She looked so happy; she was grinning from ear to ear.

"How's my new car?" she asked, beaming with excitement.

"She is a beauty," he said.

"Well, then hop in!" she chirped.

Aryan got into the car and Meera drove off.

"Business has been great," Meera said jubilantly, "I've never seen so much money in my life, and now I can buy stuff that I like...Adil totally loves me! He says I've made him more money than any other girl he's had. We are like making a fortune together. I am his top girl now and he has reserved me for the most elite clients. And Adil's got this money laundering system in place for me. Technically, now I own a company that manufactures mops. Can you believe I am actually paying taxes! And I've bought this awesome car from the honest tax paid income I earned from selling mops."

"That's a lot of awesomeness happening there!" Aryan said with a bright smile.

"Wait till you see my new house," she said, barely containing her excitement, "It's amazing! It's got this beautiful view of the sea like I always wanted!"

Aryan was quietly smiling at her.

She led him to her new apartment on the 22nd floor of a skyscraper. It was evening by then, and they could see the sun slowly set in the Arabian sea. The city lights came to life and the city began to gleam below.

"Isn't the view amazing!" she gasped holding the balcony railing.

"It is indeed," Aryan said, looking into her eyes with a smile.

Meera blushed. She walked gracefully towards him. Her eyes were moist with emotion. "Aryan, today, I have everything that I dreamed of...and I.." she choked her eyes getting tearful, "I'm just so happy, and I just wanted to share my joy with someone...and you are the only person I could think of...I just want you to stay for the evening, have dinner with me...and just hold me. You don't have to do anything that you don't want to, just be with me, it's just that I am so happy today...and I didn't want to be alone. Just tonight...and you can go in the morning...you are the closest thing I have to a friend..."

Then she took a deep breath getting a hold of her emotions, and smiled bravely. Then she lovingly touched his cheek and asked, "I hope I'm not asking for anything unreasonable."

Aryan pulled her close and gave her a warm hug, "It would be my pleasure to be with you," he said.

Meera was really happy that evening. She showed him around her new house. Her flat was furnished with exquisite furniture, and was decorated beautifully. He noticed a huge collection of books she had on all kinds of topics.

"So, you've been reading?" Aryan asked, looking at her books.

"Yeah," she said with a bright smile, "I love to read. I never got a chance to go to school or college but somehow, I can read and write. Maybe some kind-hearted person taught me, I can barely remember. So, I just try to educate myself by reading as much as I can in my free time."

Aryan noticed a photo frame with a picture of Meera and Kabir. He picked up the frame and smiled. "That's a beautiful picture," he said.

Meera smiled weakly. "It is for the nights I can't sleep, I just hold this frame to my heart, and...I just feel a little better," she said.

Aryan smiled and hugged her.

Later that evening, they had dinner together and Meera and then led him to the bedroom.

She made him sit on the bed and started running her hands on his body. She realized that he was hesitant.

"You don't have to have sex with me," she said with a smile, "I just want to hold you...if that's ok?"

"Hey Meera," he said roughly pulling her onto his lap, "Don't overthink, come here."

He locked lips with her gently running his fingers through her hair.

"I wanna show you something," she said, her eyes glowing with excitement and she slipped her dress off her shoulders letting it fall to the floor, revealing her perfect body. "The tattoos, do you see a difference?" she asked.

"Yes," Aryan said, "They look fainter."

"I've been undergoing laser treatments for tattoo removal. Mithila introduced me to a good dermatologist," Meera said, "I've had two sessions so far, and they are already so much fainter! The doctor says in another 6-7 sessions they will be gone completely! The thought itself makes me so happy...I'm going to be truly free Aryan, then...no one will look at my body and think dirty things..."

Aryan noticed both joy and sorrow in Meera's eyes. He truly admired how she had managed to fight her way through such extreme circumstances. He swept her off her feet and put her down on the bed and pulled her closer. He cozied her up with a blanket. Meera rested her head on his arms and snuggled closer.

"I never had dirty thoughts about you, you know," he said, running his fingers through her hair, "When I look at you, all I can see is a fighter."

"You know Aryan," she said, "I have nothing to hide from you. You know everything about me, my weakness, my vulnerabilities, my scars, my shame...I'm all naked, bare before you. And yet you treat me with so much respect...that's why you are so special to me."

"I don't know everything about you Meera," Aryan said, kissing her forehead, "But whatever I do know, makes me truly admire you."

Meera smiled.

"Let me please you Meera..." Aryan said as he started kissing her neck. Meera threw her head backwards, arching her neck for him.

He nibbled her ear and licked her neck with such a skill that it almost surprised her. He showered kisses on her collar bones and moved lower towards her full breasts. He flicked his tongue on her right nipple and planted deep kisses all over her breasts. Meera was moaning in pleasure. Her tender fingers clasped the bedsheet as she arched her back in arousal. Aryan gently cupped her breasts with both his hands and gently squeezed them. Suddenly Meera squealed.

Aryan noticed that her body had small bumps at several places. He gently rubbed it with his thumb and found a nasty bruise under a layer of foundation.

He shot her a sharp look and asked, "What is this Meera?"

"It's just from a client I was with three days ago..." she said trying to brush it off with a smile, "It's nothing, really...just a little...occupational hazard..."

"You just said you hid nothing from me," Aryan said, sounding upset.

"Of course, Aryan," she said lovingly touching his cheek, "You know the kinda work I do, right?"

"But why did you feel the need to cover it up?" Aryan said.

"It's just not pretty," Meera said calmly, "I didn't want to turn you off."

Aryan didn't say anything. He just rolled over and lay down on his back next to her.

Meera snuggled up close to him and ran her hand over his chest gently and said, "All kind of wierdos come to me you know. There was this client, his girlfriend left him for another guy, and he was just angry. He had this weird demand that he wanted me to dress up in her clothes, and dress my hair the way she does, and he kept calling me by her name..." Meera said.

Aryan still didn't respond.

"He asked me to apologize, beg for forgiveness for cheating on him, like he would have wanted his ex-girlfriend to do," Meera said with a chuckle, "He just wanted to vent his anger, beat and punch me to his heart's content, and then there was anal sex...there is always anal with these angry types...I don't know some kinda obsession I guess, or the think of it as some kinda punish..."

"He punched you?" Aryan said, looking straight into her eyes with a hint of anger.

"Just a couple of times," Meera said, "Not too hard, I'm OK Aryan, these bruises, they'll be gone in a few days."

"Meera! The guy has been punching you, there could be internal injuries! Why does Adil send you to such psychos?" Aryan said, now looking visibly angry.

"Adil is a sweetheart," Meera said, "He does this on my request. I asked to be a pain slut. These sadistic psychos pay a lot of money. How do you think I got so rich so soon? I am... adequately compensated for this...pain. And you know how much I need this money, don't you? And Adil takes good care of me, he has me looked at by a doctor after every session to make sure I am not seriously injured. And I'm..."

Aryan cut her off as he locked lips with her. They kissed passionately for a moment.

"Come here," he said tugging her hand and led her to the bathroom. He pulled off her panties and stripped her naked. "Let me see the real you," he said as he turned on a warm shower.

Meera stood quietly as the makeup washed off her body. Aryan sighed when he realized it wasn't just one bruise that she had tried to hide. There were a dozen of bruises and welts on her body. She lowered her gaze not wanting to look at Aryan. He placed a finger under her chin and made her look up. Her eyes were red and tearful. There was a large bruise on her right cheek as well. The shower washed off her tears, but Aryan could see so much pain on her face that she was desperately trying to hide.

"This is the Meera I want," he said cupping her face in his palms, "The girl who bravely fought a million battles and is yet so graceful."

He began to draw her a warm bath. He added soothing aromatic oils to the bath. He lifted her in his arms and gently put her into the bathtub. He could now see each and every bruise and welt on her body that she had so meticulously concealed.

Meera was in tears. "I am sorry, Aryan...I didn't mean it to be like this...I.." she said in a breaking voice as she tried to fight her tears.

"Shhhhhh it's ok," Aryan said lovingly fondling her head, "Just close your eyes and breathe."

He helped Meera rest her head back and took a bath sponge and ran it gently over her body. He could see her body relax slowly and the warm water soothed her pain. He looked at her face, she had a calm expression on her face. He ran the sponge down her shoulders onto her breasts, lightly rubbing her nipples. Meera let out a faint moan. Then he gently held her feet as he scrubbed them lightly.

Meera suddenly opened her eyes and tried to gently pull away. "Aryan please...you don't have to...I am not worthy of this..." she said.

"I will decide what you are worth. So just shut up and let me do what I am doing," Aryan said firmly enough to calm her protests.

He scrubbed her feet and ran the sponge gently up her legs and thighs and brushed lightly on her pussy sending a tingle up her belly. He drained the water from the bathtub and ran a warm shower to wash her clean. Then he wrapped her in a towel, gently lifted her and put her down on the bed.

He got on top of her without putting any weight on her and showered her with gentle kisses. He was treating her like a delicate flower. Meera felt so pampered with his soft touches and kisses.

And then he parted her legs and kissed her pussy.

"Aryan no...you really don't have to..." Meera protested weakly.

"Didn't I just tell you to shut up?" Aryan replied sharply.

Meera just lay quietly on the bed letting him do what he wanted to. She let him lick her pussy lips and his hands gently rested on her inner thighs, stroking them occasionally with the lightest of touch. She shuddered as she felt him flick his tongue on her clit. His skillful stimulation made her pussy juices gush. She moaned as she felt him gently nibble her pussy lips. She began to breathe heavily as he held her clit between his lips and sucked lightly. Her moaning assured him of how much pleasure he was giving her. Meera was floating in an erotic high. And this time, along with a sexual sensation, she had an emotional assurance that Aryan is not going to hurt her like other men did, he is not going to call her dirty names to degrade her. She knew she was safe with him, she knew he was not going to punish her for surrendering to her desires, he was not going to cause her pain. He was being so kind, so gentle...she knew he wasn't going to make her cry or scream for his pleasure. He was just trying to make her happy. As she felt him push his tongue inside her pussy and wiggle it softly, she felt waves of orgasm rush though her. This was perhaps the most intense orgasm she had as her body melted in sheer pleasure.

She just lay with her eyes closed for a moment. When she opened her eyes, Aryan was lying next to her smiling at her.

She hugged him tightly in her arms. She didn't say anything to him but she broke down into tears. Aryan held her close and showered her with kisses. Meera wasn't speaking a word, but Aryan could see her emotional starvation in her eyes. He knew she was missing Kabir, but she just didn't dare to say it. He could feel her emptiness and loneliness. He could see gratitude in her eyes for his kindness.

Soon enough Meera composed herself, and brought back her bubbly smile on her lips. She winked at him and began to reach for his pants, "Now my turn," she said playfully.

Aryan smiled and pulled her hand away, "No, not today," he said.

"But why?" she asked, "I want to.."

"Some other time," he said, kissing her forehead. Then he softly touched her bruised cheek and said, "You are hurt Meera, I want you to rest and recover first. Then I am all yours."

Meera smiled and hugged him.

"And one more thing," Aryan said, "You don't have to pay me anymore for any work that I do for you."

Meera suddenly got worried, "Why?" she asked, "Your work is not easy and you deserve to be paid."

"Maybe I do, but never at the cost of this," Aryan said touching her bruises, "I can only imagine the pain...I can't be doing this to you, Meera. If this is how you are making money, I really can't take it. My conscience won't let me."

"Hey Aryan...It's.." Meera said.

"This is not open to discussion," Aryan said, "My word is final on this matter, take it or leave it."

Meera's eyes filled with tears. She was touched at how deep his understanding was.

"You know Aryan, I feel so connected to you. But I hardly know you, sometimes I wish I knew more about you," Meera said snuggling closer to him.

"Well," Aryan said, "You know my name, you know where I live, what I do, you have my contact details...what more do you wanna know?"

"I don't know," she said, "Maybe something more..."

"Well," Aryan said, "I am 26 years old, I am a vegetarian, I love sports, cricket especially, I used to play basketball in my college days, I listen to rock music, I love to travel, I smoke and drink occasionally and I really love ginger tea and vanilla ice-cream."

Meera smiled and kissed him.

"I mean the real stuff," Meera said, "I mean about your family, and how did you end up in this profession..."

"I don't have a family, Meera," Aryan said, "I live alone and I do this work because the pay is damn good."

"What about a girlfriend?" Meera said, teasing him, "You've got this tattoo of the letter 'S' on your wrist. Does her name start with S?"

"This is S just for my last name, Sinha," Aryan said.

"Liar, liar pants on fire," Meera said cheerfully, "Don't tell me a devilishly handsome guy like you with these super cute dimples doesn't have a girlfriend!"

"Would you believe me if I told you I was gay?" Aryan replied with a naughty smile.

Meera laughed aloud, "You are not gay, Aryan!" she said.

"How do you know?" Aryan said playfully, "How many gays do you actually know Meera?"

"Well," she snuggled close and whispered in his ear, "Gays are not this good at eating pussy."

She blushed and rolled over. Aryan smiled and pulled her closer and kissed her neck and shoulder breathing in her scent.

"Aryan..." Meera spoke with hesitation, "There's something I wanted to share with you..."

"Go on," Aryan said calmly as he ran his fingers through her silken hair.

"I was with these clients, and during an extreme moment, I got this vision..." Meera said, "About a child...a new born girl with hazel eyes, the same shade as that of Kabir's. And in that vision, there was an old lady who said to me, 'your daughter is alive, she is a blessed angel!' You know, Kabir never mentioned anything about a child to me. But Mithila said that the gynecologist told her that there are signs on my body that I've given birth..."

Aryan was listening with concentration as Meera paused for a moment.

"Then I went to Mithila, and we talked about this and I requested her to try to retrieve my memories. And then we had this session, in which I had another vision about me being in a garbage truck with Kabir, and I read a road sign that read the name of the place "Lahbab". And then I saw the vision about the baby again, and the old lady again said the same thing, 'your daughter is alive, she is a blessed angel!' And then there was a bad memory, and then something happened, like I passed out or something. When I woke up, Mithila looked pretty upset. She said that the memories were so traumatic that they made my heart stop and I almost died. And now she is refusing to do anymore sessions and has asked me not to try and dig into my past."

"I think she is right," Aryan said.

"Aryan, can you find my child? Please..." she requested with tearful eyes.

Aryan was taken aback for a moment. He wasn't expecting this.

"Meera," he said, "My network is most active in this city. If I pull some strings, I could look in neighboring states, or within India at the most. But beyond the country's borders is way out of my reach..."

"You could try..." she said softly, "Maybe you would know someone, who would know someone...maybe somehow...Like that place Lahbab, maybe someone around that place...I looked it up, it is the name of a real place near Dubai..."

Aryan hugged her and tried to console her, "Hey sweetheart, are you even certain those were real memories? What does your doctor say?"

"Mithila says..." Meera said, "...those could be real memories, or just my imagination. But I believe those were real memories, you believe me don't you, Aryan?"

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Kabir's gone now," Meera said as she wept bitterly, "I'm all alone, and my baby is out there somewhere alone too, and she needs me...and I need her, I would have a reason to live..."

"Even if I try to think about it," Aryan said, "All that you've told me is that there is a hazel eyed girl child, somewhere near Lahbab. This is far too vague information to start with. Could you tell me something more? Like how old would this child be now? Any idea about when she was born?"

"I wish I could remember," Meera said tearfully, "She is my only family now Aryan, they did something to me...and I'll never be a mother again. Please find my baby...I know you can, you are good, and I trust you..."