“Nope. I was told that if she couldn’t have grandchildren, then she’d take the next best thing. Honestly, her backhanded compliments are inspiring. She’s ruthless.”
“What? You think the hard decisions that made Bharat what it is came from my father?”
Raj grinned for the first time all day. “And that is why her advice was so valuable to me. Because she knows how to make the hard decisions. Ajay, I think I’m going to see my mother.”
She registered the surprise on his face.
“Are you sure?”
Raj nodded. After her brother had left, and after she was able to focus on other things once the press conference ended, she had the niggling feeling of regret in her heart. She didn’t want to feel anything other than acceptance when it came to her family. Unfortunately, that would mean having to see her brother again, too.
Ajay linked his hands with Raj’s. “Do you want me to come with you? We can take the jet and spend as much time there as you want.”
Her heart swelled with so much love for him. It was so soon, so early, but that didn’t matter. She’d spent years in a loveless relationship, an arrangement, so she knew without a doubt what her feelings were.
“I would like that a lot,” she whispered, and tilted her face up to kiss him.
When the kiss never came, she narrowed her eyes. “I think you missed your cue there.”
He shook his head. “I need to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
He led her to the far end of the table, where one recessed light brightened the table and chair. A manila folder and ballpoint pen sat in front of the chair. Ajay ushered her to sit down. “I have another proposition for you.”
“You want to talk business? Ajay, we’ve both had an incredibly long day.”
He rolled his eyes at her, which only made her want to grab the pen and jab him with it. She was about to say so when he opened the folder in front of her.
“This is a personal partnership. I want you to know what the terms are before our relationship continues any further.”
Raj tried to focus, tried to concentrate on the words in front of her. They slowly began to take shape, and when she realized what they said, her love grew exponentially.
“This is an employment agreement,” she whispered. “To work as part of HAZ Enterprises as president of the Singh Foundation.”
“You get to do what you want . . . but you also will be working with the family. You’ll be working with me.”
“Ajay, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. Tell me you’ll be my family, my future. If you don’t like it, then I’ll do what I can to help you create your second life, but all I’m asking is that I’m a part of it. What do you think?”
“I think that the terms aren’t very clear, and I’m going to need additional information.”
His brows V’d. “Additional information? Like what?”
She reached out and unbuckled his belt. “Like do I have any benefits with the role, and will I have to be discrete about using them?”
Understanding brightened in his eyes. “How could I forget?”
They made quick work of his pants and then hiked her dress up over her hips.
She already knew what he wanted, and he gave her what she needed. He tugged her hair, and the tiny prickle of pain and pleasure had her moaning as she bent over the table. She heard him unwrap the condom, and then felt him enter her in one steady push. Her hands spread over the polished wood as Ajay began pumping inside her.
“Yes,” she cried, pushing back against him, begging for more, aching for release. He pulled her hair again with one hand, and then reached in front of her to pinch her nipples. She tried desperately not to scream in case one of the cleaning crew came in. “Yes, Ajay, I want it. I want you.”
“Are you mine, baby?” He panted as he sped up. “I’m yours, so you’re mine, right?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” she chanted.
She begged him to fuck her as hard as he could, making promises in the height of her ecstasy. She came in one bright burst of pleasure.
Then, as the night sky brightly twinkled on beyond the windows, Ajay flipped her over and pushed her onto the table. He crawled on top of her and entered her again. This time, Ajay gripped her ankles and held her legs up and wide. It didn’t take too long for her to come again, and this time, her love was with her.
He collapsed on top of her, and they lay like that, half dressed, heaving for air, for a long time. Raj ran her fingers through Ajay’s hair and told him the only secret that she’d kept from him. The words came from her heart.
“I’m in love with you, Ajay.”
“I’m in love with you, too,” he whispered back.
She held his face in her hand, reveling in the feel of his beard. “Ajay Singh?”
He looked down at her, smiling with lingering pleasure in his eyes. “Raj Hothi?”
“Let’s do business together. I’m in if you’re in.”
“Always, Raj. With you? Always.”
Acknowledgments
The Singh Family Trilogy developed after a series of conversations that occurred between myself and my editor, Elle Keck. Elle, thank you for letting me write about brown billionaires. Your unwavering support has always been a guiding light as I struggle through the trenches of my manuscript. Thank you also to the wonderful women at Avon who support, uplift, and cheer me on. Being a part of the Avon family has been an incredible experience, and you’re all the reason I’m so damn happy. Thanks to Joy Tutela at David Black Literary, who is the best partner in crime a girl could have. Thank you to the hubs, who listens to me rant and eats takeout when I am late on edits and desperate to finish. To my friends Smita Kurrumchand and Ali Magnotti Nagel who also listen to me complain incessantly about my novels. To my critique partner, the talented Dee Ernst. To the RITA Writer’s Room class of 2019: Sarah Maclean, Adriana Herrera, Andie Christopher, Sierra Simone, LaQuette, Joanna Shupe, and Alexis Daria. You are the squad that any girl would be lucky to have. Thank you for your shenanigans and your support.
And thanks to all the girl bosses in my career who gave me the tough love I needed to show up and stop apologizing.
An Excerpt from The Takeover Effect
Don’t miss any of the Singh brothers finding their perfect matches. Keep reading for an excerpt from Hem and Mina’s love story,
THE TAKEOVER EFFECT
Hemdeep Singh knows exactly what he wants. With his intelligence and determination, he has what it takes to build his own legacy away from Bharat, Inc., and the empire his father created. But when his brother calls him home, Hem puts his dreams on hold once again to help save the company he walked away from. That’s when he encounters the devastating Mina Kohli in the Bharat boardroom, and he realizes he’s in for more than he had bargained.
Mina will do whatever it takes to recover control of her mother’s law firm, even if it means agreeing to an arranged marriage. Her newest case assignment is to assist Bharat in the midst of a potential takeover. It could be the key to finally achieving her goal while preventing her marriage to a man she doesn’t love—as long as her explosive attraction to Hem doesn’t get in the way.