"Been ages since we got together, hasn't it?" Randhir opened the conversation. The woman on his screen oozed raw sensuality. Her graceful body was draped in an embroidered yellow saree that adhered to her curvy frame like second skin. She had paired it with a sheer flesh- coloured blouse that was cut so low it left just enough for his imagination to conjure up an image of what it concealed. Her satin skin glowed like it had been worked upon by a skilled masseuse until every inch of her body was invitingly smooth.

"Yes it has! Your text mentioned that you had a proposal for me. What do you have on your mind?" Shefaali's cognac eyes flirted with the masculine pair staring at her across the screen. She could imagine them disrobing her layer by layer till she was stripped bare of every strand of chiffon and sequin that covered her captivating form. Her long wavy tresses piled on her right shoulder cascaded over the soft fabric on her bosom. She played absentmindedly with her chandelier earring barely realising that it was distracting the man she was talking to.

"You look more desirable in a saree. Shefaali, I want your time exclusively. You may be a professional escort but if you accept my proposal you must stop seeing other guys. I won't have you cast pearls before swine. In return you'll be compensated well. You can have enough spending money to buy anything you set your heart upon, as long as we are together. We'll have regular phone and video dates and share scintillating passion whenever we meet . What do you say to that?" His eyes narrowed as he put aside his scotch on ice and lit a cigarette.

"You are asking for loyalty in a long-distance relationship with a working girl? I thought New York was teeming with options of every race and colour. Besides, you have the money to buy anything you want there. And I know you had a live-in girlfriend. What happened, did you break up with her?" Things became complicated if a man had a significant other in his life. If that woman found out she would naturally go ballistic and sometimes try to harm the mistress. Shefaali didn't want any trouble from such a vindictive woman. Staying unattached had its advantages but she was willing to make an exception in Randhir's case.

"My partner should not be your concern, she is a separate and integral part of my life. You and I, our business shall be restricted to physical give and take, with no strings attached. My family does not have to know anything about us. Our contract will remain confidential, neither of us will discuss our arrangement with anyone. We proceed only if you accept!" Randhir smirked. If she was disinterested she would not have dressed up for him. He wasn't sure if it was the money or the thrill that would finally draw her to the deal. He recalled how exciting and uninhibited their encounters had been. Shefaali was an irresistible and intoxicating drug that helped unleash their hidden, ungratified desires.

She did not answer immediately. As she rose to her feet her saree pallu slipped from her shoulder, exposing her plunging neckline and midriff. Randhir stopped breathing for a moment. She turned around slowly, showing off her contours to great advantage. When she returned she had a glass of wine in her hand. 

"I need an answer, Shefaali!" Randhir took a deep drag as he spoke.

"Let's drink to our brand new, exclusive and clandestine relationship. I don't mind playing along but if you want me to be your beck and call girl I have certain rules too! We won't ever discuss our families or our personal lives. I don't want to bump into your wife, not even accidentally. And you will never bring me up in your conversation with her. Also neither of us shall utter the L word, I don't want any emotional tangles. I have another life just like you do." She dipped her right index finger into the wine and put it in her mouth to taste the contents. 

"Perfect, just the right balance of crispness and sweetness. Cheers, Randhir!" She smiled as she took a sip of her wine, savouring the aroma as she swirled it gently around the mouth. She felt the alcohol in the wine warm her body briskly. His eyes went dark with lust to see her in an altered state.

"I think my air conditioner has gone kaput. It's hot in here!" She said, placing her glass down. She swept her pallu aside and undid a few of buttons of her blouse. Using a facial tissue she dabbed the beads of moisture that had formed down her neck and shoulders. As expected Randhir continued to stare hard at her. She unspooled the saree off her waist and kept it aside, revealing her lacy underskirt. She trussed her hair together with a scrunchie, baring her shoulders and long neck.

"Don't, not yet!" Randhir warned as he saw her fingers reach for another button of her blouse. "I don't want any hackers to lay their lustful eyes on what's meant for my eyes only!" She stopped abruptly as his warning sank in.

"I thought this was a secure connection!" She draped the end of the saree around herself.

" As much as I would love to see you strip on screen I don't want to take any chances. Let's just use our phones to speak in real time." He suggested. 

Shefaali drained her glass in a go and put her laptop away. She didn't have to wait for long. Her phone buzzed and she answered.

"Where are you now?" He asked her.

"Lying in bed waiting for you to call." She purred.

"You still have your clothes on?" His voice sounded gruff.

"I hope you don't expect my responsed to be cliched like a sexting transcript!" She laughed. 

"I'd surely want that, but right now I just want you to be comfortable. The AC isn't working and the city must be under the spell of the October heat. Wish you could be here instead. Fall is the best time to be in NYC. It is nice and cool now though it will get uncomfortably cold by November. Central Park has transformed amazingly with the leaves on the trees turning a deep russet colour. You can hear the dried leaves crunch under your feet while walking and smell autumn in the air."

"I can imagine how beautiful it must be. Wish I was there too!"

"Don't think we'd be out looking at autumn leaves if you were here just now. I can think of a hundred ways to make you moan all night and blow your mind like it has never been before."

As he began to whisper into her ears Shefaali slipped out of her remaining clothes, tossing them over the edge of the bed. The wine had gone to her head making her a little tipsy. He continued to whisper instructions and soon her fingers began exploring her body like he instructed her to. Her peaks went taut in response to his suggestions and wetness began to pool between her legs. She caressed herself, extracting as much delectation from the act while her fingers kneaded her sensitive spots. 

"Sate your appetite fully, go ahead! I wish I was there to take you on a trip to the land of forbidden rapture. " He prodded. The man and his mistress used their hands to stimulate themselves, slowly at first and then working their way towards a crescendo. He could hear her gasp loudly as wave upon wave of ecstasy washed over her. She assumed full control over the delice pink bud between her legs as it became engorged due to arousal. Randhir pumped his own source of gratification as had done since his teen years, egged on by the rattling sounds of Shefaali's laboured breath. Suddenly she could hear him groan throatily as he found release. 

After a bathroom break they continued chatting, having calmed down after their oxytocin rush experience. She asked him how he felt about seeing someone else behind his partner's back. She wished she could map his mind to discover how he really felt about cheating, wondering if he felt as she did. While there was no denying that she enjoyed her trysts with Randhir thoroughly she did nurse a nagging guilt for experimenting with escapism from her primary relationship.

"As long as we cheat with each other exclusively we'll always remain loyal to our primary partners. And they don't have to know what passes between the two of us. Call it opportunity cost if you must, but I think it is fully worth it. And I cannot wait to be with you in Kolkata. Every inch of your skin looked totally edible on the screen, my tongue is dying to taste your musky and tangy wet saltiness once more.

"Randhir, don't! I am starting to drip again." She whispered urgently.

"Great! Let's start from the beginning, once can never be enough!" He grinned as he told her where his mouth and hands wished to explore her, making her moan again.