Five-Thirty AM - XXVIII

Noel sat up on the couch, bringing Mitul up with him. His arms were around her, as his head rested on her shoulder. Mitul’s breathing intensified, as his hand slid under the waist length crimped white cotton shirt she had on. He undid a couple of buttons at the bottom pushing the material away. She sat still watching his hands, only her rapid heartbeats and breathing letting him know the effect he had on her. He pushed the material of the cloth away. For so long he’d wanted to see this for himself, touch it for himself, that his throat was dry as her smooth belly came into view.

It was just a navel ring, he told himself. But just the sight of the silver ring sitting snugly over that delicious dip took his breath away. His fingers stroked over her stomach, his eyes intently watching the ripples under her skin, feeling each of them at his fingertips, stopping just before they touched that ring. He drew in a deep breath looking up at her, the green in his eyes dark, intense, the skin drawn tight, flushed over the cheekbones.

‘For so long I’ve fantasized about that ring,’ his voice was hoarse, husky, almost begging. ‘Can I?’

She nodded her head. With a sigh of satisfaction, he stood her up, parting the shirt, his open mouth coming to rest on her navel. He couldn’t wait to taste it. She groaned at the heat of his mouth on her navel, her arms coming tightly around his head holding him close, her knees barely able to hold her up at the contact.

His tongue came out and delicately touched the ring, juddering as for the first time he tasted it and her skin together.

She groaned, ‘Noel’, in that deep throaty voice and he smiled against her skin.

Dear God! It felt so good! So good to finally be able to do all that he’d only dreamt about. He tugged on it with his tongue, and felt her hips jerk as he held her tight, his large fingers dug into her hips. He couldn’t stop kissing it, swirling his tongue around it, dipping into the hollows through it, sucking on it. He needed to kiss it, needed it as much as he needed air to survive.

Mitul could barely hold her head up. The sensations shooting outwards from her stomach, from her navel, from his tongue, were wracking through her body. Her knees were buckling, and it was only his hands that held her up now.

‘Noel,’ she pleaded, her voice cutting through the fog in his mind.

He pulled her down onto his lap, pushing her jeans clad legs on either side of his. His hands slid up her back, holding her shoulder blades, as he leaned back a little looking into her face. Her brown eyes wide open so close, pupils dilated. He could see the questions, the hesitation in them. Her lips were parted, full, inviting.

He stroked his thumbs along her cheekbones, her eyelids drifted down and for the first time he noticed the long thick lashes. And then he saw the mole next to her lip. He looked into her eyes and smirked.

‘I didn’t know you had a mole there,’ he said softly.

‘Oh! that one,’ she raised a hand to touch it but he caught her hand, shaking his head slightly, before leaning forward, Her eyes rounded as he moved closer, holding her eyes. He closed his eyes, tilting his head sideways, pausing for a minute as he felt her rapid breathing on his lips before he finally kissed that little mole. She sighed as she felt his tongue flick on that little black spot.

Noel had never held himself back like this, but he didn’t want to rush this. He wanted to take little sips of her. Discover his Mitul in tiny bites. Taste each little piece of her. He licked the mole, sucked on it, nibbled on it, his eyes closed, his senses filled with the heady scent of her skin.

She sat there waiting, anticipating, wanting his mouth on her. Her lips throbbed and her hands moved up restlessly into his hair.

‘Noel,’ she whispered, achingly.

‘Hm?’ he hummed, vibrating along her skin.

‘Please,’ she breathed.

‘Please what, babe?’ he growled, as he kissed her down to her chin.

‘Kiss me,’ she said, her hands tugging on his head till he opened his eyes, and found her lips, parted and waiting for him in front of his eyes, her breath coming in gasps between them.

With a devilish grin, he murmured, ‘with pleasure,’ before closing the gaps between their lips.

She sighed in contentment as his lips took hers. She tasted his lips, running her tongue over them. His mouth was parted, she hesitatingly entered, and found a warm, moist welcome. He tasted like a burst of sunshine, oranges and mangoes. She whimpered in her throat, wanting to go deeper, and he let her, his tongue stroking along hers, finding his way into her mouth, finding a taste that was uniquely theirs. Somewhere in that mix was cinnamon and chocolate.

His hands roamed restlessly over her back, sliding down before gripping her hips, bringing her closer to him, the apex of her legs fitting over his hardening form. She reached between them, wanting to feel his skin again, her palms longing to remember the touch of it.

Noel didn’t want to let her move. He needed to feel her against him, but he stopped her as she tugged on the waist of his tees. His hands over hers, holding them. He broke the kiss, breathing raggedly, leaning his forehead against hers, eyes closed.

He leaned back so he could see into her face. She raised her heavy eyes to his. His hand came around, cupping the back of her neck, his thumb rubbing on the silk of her cheek.

‘Mitul,’ he whispered.

‘Yes?’ she said, still looking as dazed as he felt.

‘I don’t have to tell you how much I want you right now,’ he said. ‘But you still have to hear what I have to tell you first,’ he was serious as he looked into her eyes.

Her heart had already been racing from the kiss, but then it tripped for a second, before starting to beat in slow thuds. She felt a sense of dread fill her. What more could Noel have to tell that went beyond what he’d told her already?

He moved her from his lap onto the sofa and said, ‘let’s get this done, okay?’

She could sense that whatever he was about to tell her wasn’t going to be pretty. There was a sadness in his eyes, an intense regret for all that he must now recount. She was ready for it.

*****

Noel was in Delhi. Naval had called and asked him to get there as soon as possible. He’d set up a meeting with the CEO of RR Corp, which Noel was rather puzzled about. So here he was, and he was on time.

He was dressed in a comfortable pair of blue jeans, paired with a full-sleeved darker blue tee, that clung to the muscles he’d built up with the daily workouts. He was still lean, but now, he looked lethal. He’d been out of rehab for four months now, and the future was not looking any brighter. But he himself had changed his lifestyle and his attitude, teaching martial arts to children, while he looked for a job. A pair of aviators slung from his fingers, one hand in his pocket as he loped along.

He barely noticed the admiring glances he got from the women on the floor as he approached the office of the C.E.O.

He knocked and entered the room, to find the man himself in there, dressed like Naval in a dark three-piece suit and looking every inch the polished, sophisticated businessman that he was. Naval introduced him as Rishik Singh Rathode - owner and CEO of RR Corp. Rishik was also a close personal acquaintance of Naval’s although younger to him by a good couple of years.

Introductions done with, Noel settled on a chair as Rishik took over. He wasn’t as tall as Noel, hovering around the five-eight/five-nine mark, but the aura of power he exuded made him seem taller and bigger. Like Noel, he was long-limbed and wiry, his nervous energy coiled inside him, ready to strike. His piercing caramel brown eyes missed nothing about Noel as he started speaking.

‘Mr. Figueiredo,’ he began in an usually deep yet husky voice, ‘we’re launching a new line of clothing in the spring. For men. And we were looking for a face that could be associated with the brand. Someone that is a new face, in a very over-exposed world. Someone that is exclusive to RR. I saw your pictures, and I’ve been told you’re looking for a job.

‘My proposal is very simple, Mr. Figueiredo. I’d like you to try out as the face of RR for Men. If the test shots work out, I think it would benefit both of us. I launch you into the world of modeling, you launch my line of clothes and accessories.’

Silence fell in the room, as Noel stared at him blank faced. Modeling? Him?! He needed time to think about this. He took a deep breath and said, ‘call me Noel. This is a complete surprise,’ he said. ‘I didn’t expect anything like this when -’

‘Yes or no, Mr Figueiredo?,’ Rishik interrupted.

For some reason, the commanding officer in Noel took over. ‘I need to think it over,’ he said, coolly.

Rishik nodded. ‘Fair enough.’ He placed a card on his desk. ‘I’ll be expecting you here, Noel,’ he said. ‘Tomorrow morning,’ he added. Getting up, he shook hands with the two brothers, before they took his leave.

As they reached the door, he said, ‘I would think about a different last name. Noel James Figueiredo is quite the mouthful. Something simpler works better in the world of modeling.’ A smirk tilted the corner of his mouth as he saw them out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind them. *******

‘Rishik Rathode. You met him?’ she giggled like a love struck teenager.

‘Yeah!’ said Noel, surprised at her reaction.

‘Is he really that gorgeous in real life, too?’ she asked. He looked at her, realization dawning on his face before giving way to amusement.

‘Oh my god!!’ he fanned himself, speaking in a ridiculously falsetto. ‘You’re a fan!’ he teased.

‘Yes, I am,’ she conceded, pouting. ‘So, tell me, is he really that abrupt?’

‘Yeah. He’s abrupt. But you should see him around his wife. He’s complete putty in her hands. She’s the exact opposite of him! And she’s gorgeous,’ he added for good measure.

She shook her head at him, smiling as well, ‘not gonna work, Noel. You’re stuck with me, now.’

He pulled her close and nipped on her nose, his hand going possessively over her navel ring. ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way,’ he growled into her ear.

They cuddled for a bit, before Noel continued his story, still holding her in his arms.

‘So I took the job. What did I have to lose? Strangely enough, I found I liked it. You may not think it, but models work long and hard hours, and sometimes inhuman conditions, and still make the shot look glamorous no matter what.’

‘I took Rishik’s advice and became Noel James. I also got hired by a modeling company, because I needed to learn the ropes. Both Rishik and Mitzy - his wife were very helpful when I started out, and I can never repay them enough.’

*****

Noel had settled down in Delhi. With two brothers living there, he was able to start building his new life as the face of RR for Men. Rishik was a hard employer, but a fair one.

The line was being launched with a lot of publicity. Rishik had put a closed lid on Noel, preferring to launch him as a surprise.

The launch was to be in Mumbai. The Taj was the venue. The crowd was the glitterati. It was a huge success. When Noel finally stepped on the ramp for the first time, he did it as a show stopper.

His face and body was instantly associated with RR for Men.

It was a heady time for him. It was also a dangerous time for him.

The world of modeling is filled with temptation - drugs, alcohol and sex freely available, sought and un-sought. For a recovering addict, these can be highly tempting.

It was increasingly hard for Noel to remove himself from this temptation.

It was also during this period that he underwent plastic surgery to remove the scars from his back. This time the doctors kept a close watch on him, being aware as they were of his past addiction issues. Thankfully, his weeks in rehab, and a counsellor helped him to stay clean.

The only scar he refused to get removed was the one on his chest. It served as a reminder of his darkest days, and his determination to keep those days in the past.

He began getting offers of contracts from different modeling agencies, and he could pick and choose the one he wanted. He picked with care, with Rishik and Dev providing advice - both industry and financial.

Almost a year after the launch of RR for Men, Noel was busy with new assignments, although RR for Men was always given priority.

To celebrate his first year of staying clean, Dev and he took a trip to Thailand. He got the phoenix tattoo on his scar. A reminder that he had risen from the ashes of his past. The scar was still there, hidden, but always there.

The call came out of the blue. It was a production house. Was Noel interested in doing a TV series? It was the first of many. Initially, Noel batted these questions away, since he didn’t think he’d really fit into that medium - especially with his unconventional looks and coloring.

Then came ‘Ek Din Zindagi Ka’- A Day in the Life. The role offered to him was that of the second lead, not the main. It would only last for about six months, and what drew him to it was the slightly grey shades in the character that he was being asked to do.

Noel went into the look test, without having much of an idea about it. He’d faced the camera enough times to know how to look his best and emote. Contrary to popular thinking, modeling did require emoting.

Two days later, they called him back.

Noel went to the offices of the production house in Mumbai, expecting to find a fat man, sitting behind a large ornate desk, probably chewing tobacco.. The office he was shown into was sleek, modern, overrun with paper and electronic equipment, a camera on a tripod and a battery of phones. Behind the glass-topped table sat a lady, Gauri Krishnan, producer of the show. 

*****