As they guessed theirs’ right, he began with Sandhya, and exclaimed, ‘oh, how it vanished!’ and when it came to Roopa, he wondered, ‘how well it matches!’
In that euphoric moment, as his women lost no time to go to each other’s erotic roots, seeing their waist-chains sink into each other’s breasts, he said ecstatically, ‘What a rainbow of love to behold!’
‘Oh, enough of your voyeurism,’ sputtered Roopa in time, ‘why not you shoot now, having two strings to your bow.’
‘How can I,’ he said, feigning helplessness, ‘with both the targets out of sight.’
‘Hit here straight,’ said Roopa, raising her head, ‘before you aim at my rear.’
When nature ended the orgy, said Roopa dreamily, ‘Can anyone have an idea of our joy?’
‘If only they could,’ Sandhya said smiling, ‘won’t they die of jealousy for the lack of it?’
When Roopa returned from her bath, finding her waist bereft of the chain he gave her, said a disappointed Raja Rao, ‘I thought you liked it.’
‘I want it to witness only our lovemaking,’ she said, embracing him with a feeling of emotional commitment to him.
Having slept for a while, Roopa returned home by the time Sathyam came from the Secretariat. At length, the Sathyams went to the Raja Raos’ place to proceed to Blue Fox at seven. Among those who made it to the party in the evening were the two Reddys, Wahab and Dr. Wazir Ahmed.
Sitting beside Sathyam, Sandhya said, ‘Haven’t you noticed the ear-studs on Roopa and I have on us?’
‘They suit you both,’ he said, ‘equally well.’
‘We wanted to surprise you,’ said Sandhya, ‘as ever.’
‘I’m glad you care for her,’ he said. ‘She’s very happy these days.’
‘Why don’t you stop with that?’ said Roopa to Sathyam in between her conversation with Wahab.
‘These mixed dinners are for novices,’ said Wahab. ‘Aren’t stags the answer for the regulars? What do you say Sathyam saab?’
‘I would say cheers,’ laughed Sathyam, lifting his glass, ‘to encore, that is.’
At the other end of the table, Dr. Wazir Ahmed said to Raja Rao, ‘I understand the architects are having a pretty good time these days.’
‘Can’t you see, doctor saheb,’ Subba Reddy said in undertone, before Raja Rao could reply, ‘with two pretty directors on the board, how could it be otherwise for our romantic architect.’
‘Thank God, you’ve stopped at that,’ muttered Raja Rao.
‘Well,’ laughed Subba Reddy, who was high by then, ‘it’s I who has stopped at that, isn’t it?’
Sensing trouble, Ranga Reddy, who was sitting beside his inebriated friend, thought it fit to preempt the embarrassment in the offing, and announced thereby, ‘I request Dr. Wazir Ahmed to present this miniature Charminar to Raja Rao garu on our behalf. We fondly hope that one day, Integral Architects would conceive a modern day symbol of Hyderabad.’