Free A Scandalous Proposition by MM George

Mira
lost herself in the beat and tempo of the music.
    The loud sound of applause brought her back to earth and she
looked around her in disbelief. She was alone on the dance floor—everyone else
had moved off to watch her. Blushing furiously, she moved hastily to one side,
trying to lose herself in the throng. Unfortunately, she found herself
confronting Ranbir, who had been watching her intently. “Well, well,” he said
sardonically, “who would have thought Little Miss Desi was hiding so much
dancing talent!”
    Mira looked away, flushing. She had not meant to make a
spectacle of herself, to attract so much attention. “Please, Ranbir,” she said.
“Ajay Chacha asked me to join the party, that’s why I’m here.”
    “I have no objections whatsoever to your being here,” he
replied smoothly. “Or to your little performance there, for that matter. In
fact, I’m rather enjoying discovering these hidden facets to your personality.”
    “Ranbir, darling, there you are!” A tall, fair girl in a
little black dress and chestnut highlights in her swinging mane came up to
them. “This has to be the most happening party of the year,” she gushed, hand
going to rest proprietarily over Ranbir’s arm.
    Mira took advantage of the moment to walk back to the
kitchen. This is where I belong, she thought a trifle resentfully. Nonetheless,
she couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her lips.
    It was a while before she ventured out again. The lawns were
relatively empty because everyone was in the dining room, attacking the buffet.
The DJ was also taking a break. She had just reached the secluded path near
Dadi’s original rose garden when she heard a low sob, then Reema’s voice.
“Please let me go. I don’t want to drink that,” she was saying. Mira hastened
her pace to turn the corner into the rose garden. Reema was standing between
two young men, who, from the looks of them, were quite inebriated. One of them
had his arm around her and was pressing a glass of beer to her lips. Reema was
fending off the glass with one hand, squirming visibly under the arm around her
shoulder. The other man was laughing at her ineffectual attempts to make her
escape.
    “You’re the hired help, aren’t you?” asked the man with the
beer glass, laughing lewdly.
    “No, she’s a respected guest in this house, so leave her
alone,” said a level voice behind her. Mira ran to help her sister, but Ranbir
was quicker. “Go and find Tarun and Ram Singh,” he told her tersely, then
turning back, he said in a louder tone, his anger no longer reined in, “I said
let go of her!”
    Mira did as she was told. She couldn’t believe what was
happening. She sent off a maid to find Ram Singh, the security guard, and went
in search of Tarun. It took her some time to find him and, as they hurried back
to the rose garden, she told him what had happened in a low voice. They
returned to find the drunken men blustering before Ranbir, threatening him in
loud voices. Reema was cowering behind Ranbir’s broad back, sobs shaking her
slender frame. Tarun ran to her and caught her up in his arms. One of the men
lunged at her. Ranbir’s fist shot out and caught him square on the jaw. He
staggered back, holding his jaw in astonishment.
    “Ram Singh!” Mira could hear the tone of disgust in Ranbir’s
voice. “Throw these vermin out of the gate immediately. And remember their
faces—I don’t want to see them here ever again.”
    The stocky guard who had run up to them shoved the two men
along towards the gate.
    Mira went to Reema. “It’s okay, Chhoti, stop crying. Why
were you here alone with them?”
    “It’s my fault, I told her to meet me here,” said a
white-faced Tarun.
    “Stop this foolish drivel!” snapped Ranbir, his eyes
glittering dangerously. His face softened as he turned to Reema. “Reema,
sweetie, it’s over. You’re safe now.”
    “Yes, but if you hadn’t…” choked Reema through her tears.
Ranbir took her face in both his