"Tomorrow evening... Peter bought us some time and told him that she'll be on the next private jet out."
"Then, it's settled." Pooja Didi nodded.
"I'll have to go prepare then. I guess I need to learn how to act like a crime lord, don't I?" Jhanvi grinned.
"I'll call Peter over. He's from the underworld and knows how things work, but we don't have much time. Just one day to train up our third musketeer into a feisty, psychopathic, crime boss."
***
The meeting was at Shah Rukh's mansion again. As Peter mentioned, Shah Rukh was deeply distrustful, and he wanted to have this meeting at his home turf.
I sat in our car, parked a bit away from Shah Rukh's place, with Pooja Didi on the wheel. I looked through the tinted window, watching as four SUVs rolled in, parking in front of the gates.
"That's them..." I commented, "I hope this goes well..."
"It will. Trust them..." Pooja Didi said, reaching over with her free hand, and squeezing my arm comfortingly, but I knew that inside she was also just as concerned about Jhanvi and Karan.
As I looked, the doors of the first car opened and two armed guards in suits first alighted. Karan had spared no expense, hiring out a full security detail of bodyguards and vehicles for the meeting, to make this seem authentic.
One of the bodyguards stepped forward and had a word with the guards at gate. After a brief exchange, both of them nodded, then the gates opened and Karan's bodyguard got back into the SUV. An instant later, all four vehicles drove into the property and the gates closed shut behind them.
'Please God, keep them safe and make this work!' I prayed in my mind, hoping against hope, that everything would go according to plan.
***
Karan...
"Now remember, Ms. Jhanvi. Be confident, stern and don't show any fear. You are the leader of a powerful international syndicate. Remember that..." Peter whispered, as we walked up the slight stairs to Shah Rukh's massive front door, which opened as we approached.
"She'll do fine, Peter. Don't worry!" I interjected, looking at Jhanvi who did seem a bit nervous. I remembered that look from back in school, whenever we had a group presentation, Jhanvi used to be the same, fidgeting nervously until the actual thing began. But once she got up front, she would always nail it.
"You got this!" I said and squeezed her fingers gently. She looked up at me with a thankful smile, looking absolutely stunning even when so nervous. She was wearing a long grey trench-coat and red scarf, her hair loosely tied back, and her makeup done in a way to give her a sophisticated, yet slightly dangerous, air.
"I hope so!" she whispered and then straightened up, her expression changing instantly, as she took on the demeanour and persona of the ruthless crime lord we needed. Her eyes became fierce, and her expression hardened.
Peter and his men, all dressed in black suits and sunglasses, surrounded me and Jhanvi protectively, walking us to a door where another set of thugs, awaited us. A thin balding guy with an air of authority stood before them and smiled broadly as we approached. This must be Aslam!
"Mr. Shah Rukh is expecting you, Miss Sheikh. This way..."
He turned and opened the broad doors, but as two of my bodyguards stepped forward to enter first, his thugs stepped in and blocked the way. Aslam looked back at us with a shrewd smile, "Oh sorry, no guards or guns beyond this point, that includes our middleman Peter here. Boss only wants to talk to the grownups!" he said with a chuckle.
"Boss..." Peter started, looking ready to protest but Jhanvi cut him off with a firm voice.
"I'll be okay." She declared confidently and looked straight at Aslam, "My men will wait outside. But if you don't mind, my righthand, Bashar will join us for the negotiations."
Aslam smirked and bowed slightly, opening the door for us. Jhanvi strode in and I followed, giving a quick nod to Peter before the door slammed shut behind us.
The room was a rich study with a desk on one corner and a bar counter on the other side. I noticed that the huge windows were covered with heavy velvet draperies. The lights were all dimmed, and the whole place gave off an ominous atmosphere.
"Ah... welcome!" a smooth, deep, voice called out to us. I turned to find the infamous Shah Rukh, a fat but imposing man, rising from the leather sofa in the centre and coming towards us.
"Welcome to my humble abode, Ms. Sheikh! I've been waiting eagerly for this meeting..."
"You can call me Zara. I don't go much for formalities like my father." Jhanvi replied and held out her hand. She spoke in a low, commanding tone, and I saw Shah Rukh's appreciative glance as he looked at Jhanvi.
"Of course. And you can call me Shah Rukh!" He replied with a smile and grasped Jhanvi's offered hand. He then raised it up and kissed it lightly.
I had to suppress rolling my eyes at the display, 'What a creep!'
"May I take your coat? I'm sure you might be finding it a bit too hot for it..." Shah Rukh said, and Jhanvi smiled, turning her back to him, her eyes briefly flicking at me.
"Sure, you can..." Jhanvi replied, and Shah Rukh moved closer to her from behind, his fingers reaching for her coat, while Jhanvi unbuttoned it from the front.
"I wasn't expecting Zara Sheikh... the crime lord of the Sheikh Syndicate, to be someone so... beautiful. I must say I'm rather impressed." Shah Rukh murmured into Jhanvi's ear as he slowly peeled away the coat from her body, his lips close to her neck, and I could see her shiver slightly before he helped her out of her coat.
"And I wasn't expecting the infamous Shah Rukh Khan Bhai to be... such a gentleman." Jhanvi replied with a slight chuckle, turning to face him, and I saw his face flush red as he saw her outfit.
I couldn't blame him for his reaction, because Jhanvi was dressed in a very sexy black dress that barely reached to her mid-thigh and left little to the imagination with its plunging neckline. It was tight and clung to every curve of Jhanvi's body and I could see the hunger in Shah Rukh's face grow as he looked over the voluptuous woman who stood in his study.
"So... shall we talk business then?" she said, breaking the awkward silence, and walking over to the couch. Her hips swayed with each stride, her heels tapping on marble as three sets of eyes, mine, Shah Rukh's and Aslam's stared at her shapely, curvy ass as she went to sit.
"Uh yes, of course..." Shah Rukh stammered in reply, snapping out of his reverie, and moving towards a small table at his desk where two glasses, a bottle of whiskey, and some ice had been set out.
The plan seemed to be working, Shah Rukh was known to be a man who liked beautiful women. And Jhanvi's bold, sexy attire was clearly throwing him off guard and I had a feeling that she might just succeed at this charade.
I watched as he walked to where Jhanvi sat and poured out two generous measures of the amber liquid, and carried it to where she waited on the couch.
"I hope you enjoy whiskey..." He said with a grin, handing the glass to her, while he sipped his own, "This is an excellent single malt, aged thirty five years in the cask. Only the best!"
Jhanvi took the offered glass, her eyes locked on Shah Rukh's who was very obviously staring down her deep cleavage with a hungry gaze.
I watched her lift the drink to her lips and take a slow, dainty sip, "Mmmm... it is quite exquisite..." she said with a soft smile, "It's almost sinful... I do appreciate your taste Mr. Shah Rukh"
"Please call me Shah Rukh" he replied with a lecherous smile on his face, and sat down right next to her, "And I am happy that you like it. Now I must ask... How does a young, gorgeous woman such as yourself, end up being the head of such a large and powerful organisation?" he asked her with genuine curiosity.
"Well... it is quite the long story, but suffice to say, my father taught me to fight for what's mine. So, when he decided to marry me off as part of a business deal, well, I obviously decided that maybe Abba Jaan needed to retire!"
I smiled to myself with the way she was handling this. She was playing it perfectly. She seemed confident, yet relaxed, while still being seductive to throw him off his game. However, we obviously didn't want him to dig too deep into our story, so I interjected, "Ms. Zara, let's not bore Mr. Khan with details of our history. Why don't you get to the business at hand?"
"Of course!" she replied to me, "Shah Rukh, my associate Bashar here tells me that your organization is skilled enough to handle our distribution in India?"
"Yes, of Course. We've built up a good business network in most parts of North India, including Delhi, Mumbai, and Punjab. Our reach also extends all the way to Goa and Kerala in the West. And in the East, Bengal, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar. I believe that covers all the areas of interest, does it not?"
"Hmmmm..." Jhanvi hummed and leaned back against the couch, "The critical part will be the handover at the port though. If that does not go smoothly, we could lose millions. Do you feel you can ensure this happens without a hitch?" she asked.
Shah Rukh smiled, "I assure you. Now that we've got this inside man, Peter, in our pocket, I can guarantee that my men will handle everything once your shipment reaches our shores. We will take care of the logistics and the delivery. All you need to do is to get it to the docks safely and we can handle the rest."
The rest of the meeting was primarily about the prices and share of profits. Peter had trained me and Jhanvi well and we handled all the questions and negotiations with confidence. Within half-an-hour, Shah Rukh was convinced and shook our hands with a smile on his face.
"Well then... I believe this is a done deal then, is it not?" Aslam said, nodding to me.
"I'll let you know the date and the time of our first shipment. It should be coming within a week!" I replied as we turned to take our leave.
Shah Rukh helped Jhanvi back into her coat and escorted us out to the door where Peter and my guards were waiting. The entire group then followed Shah Rukh and Jhanvi, who were walking in front. I could see that he was enamoured by Jhanvi and was whispering something into her ears.
Jhanvi laughed and shook her head, "Oh Shah Rukh... I would have accepted if I had the time. But we can have dinner the next time I come round?"
Then finally, as we stepped out the house and were about to head back to our cavalcade of cars, Jhanvi turned around with a seductive smile and looked at Shah Rukh, "Oh I forgot to mention one last thing. For the first shipment, which is coming in next week, I would want you to personally be there to oversee and escort this one."
I saw Shah Rukh's eyes widen in surprise at the sudden request and watched with bated breath to see if this gambit of ours would work.
Aslam, however, stepped forward with a frown immediately, "Shah Rukh Bhai does not step out for small stuff like this, ever. I will personally handle the shipment."
However, Jhanvi wasn't fazed as she practically ignored Aslam, and just stared straight at Shah Rukh, her eyes taking on a more intense, fiery gaze, her lips curling up into a seductive smile, while her finger stroked Shah Rukh's cheek gently, "It wasn't a request! If you can't be available, I can take my business elsewhere. If you want to join the big leagues, then this is your time to step up!"
"Bhai does not..."
"Aslam!" Shah Rukh's deep voice interrupted his lieutenant's words, and the group went silent as Shah Rukh's and Jhanvi's eyes locked together.
Shah Rukh's face was an unreadable mask. His dark eyes stared at Jhanvi with a hard look and his mouth was set into a thin grim line. However, Jhanvi was unperturbed, holding his gaze steadily with a slight grin.
Finally, after a tense minute, a small twitching smile crept onto Shah Rukh's face and he nodded, "I will be there."
"I look forward to meeting you then. Until then, I hope to see you soon, Mr.Shah Rukh. We'll be in touch!"
With a final wink and a smile at Shah Rukh, Jhanvi then walked towards the car, leaving a stunned Peter and me to follow her back into the car quickly.
***
Suraj...
"Three cheers for Jhanvi!" I said, raising a toast and clinking it against Pooja Didi's and Karan's glasses.
All four of us were back at Pooja Didi's place, celebrating our victory.
"To the third Musketeer!" Karan added with a wide grin. "You guys should have seen her! She had Shah Rukh hooked and reeled in with no problems at all. I was worried there for a bit, but damn... Jhanvi was amazing! I've never seen anyone lie like that!"
"Good work, sis!" Didi exclaimed, hugging her sister tightly with pride.
"Oh, come on... I was just doing my bit!" Jhanvi said, blushing at the compliments. "I was really nervous. You did all the heavy lifting, Karan. You came up with this plan and executed it perfectly. Including training me with the story. I couldn't have done it without you!"
"Nonsense!" Karan replied with a laugh. "I just gave you a few tips on how to act, and you blew it out of the water." He turned to me, grinning, "You know... I was worried she was gonna be a little too timid and shy to pull it off, but Jhanvi was the perfect mix of sexy and scary. You should have seen her, Suraj. You wouldn't have recognized her."
Pooja Didi and I laughed at Karan's comment, but I knew that he was being modest. I stood up and raised my glass. "To Karan! The mastermind behind this whole plan!"
"Yeahhhh! Three cheers to Karan!" Both Jhanvi and Didi chimed in, standing up and pulling Karan to his feet, hugging him tightly.
Karan blushed deeply, his face turning bright red, "Come on guys... I was just helping out..."
Didi leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, "Oh stop it, Karan. It's not just today. First you helped out with rescuing Ileana in Goa, then helping out Suraj when he was kidnapped and so much more!"
"She's right, Kishore is Suraj's brother but he's actually trying to kill him and you're the one risking your life and sticking up for him." Jhanvi added, hugging him again. "Thank you, Karan. We owe you so much."
"Awe come one you gu--" Karan protested, but I cut him off.
"You've saved my life twice already, and now you're saving my family. I'll never forget this, man!" I declared and pulled him in for a hug.
"Thanks man!" was all he could manage to mutter in reply, "But don't forget, this isn't over right. We still have a lot of work to do."
"Yeah, you're right, I still need to work on Narayan to get the reports fudged!" I shrugged, stepping back.
"Not to mention we still need to close the mortgage on our house by tomorrow..." Pooja Didi added with a sigh.
"Wait... what mortgage... what now? What are you talking about!" Karan asked me.
I reminded him again about the plan to buy up long positions on the stock and then told him about our plan to raise money via mortgaging their family estate.
His eyes went wide when he heard that part and he looked at me, "What the hell do you need to do that now?"
I looked at him confused, "I need the money to bet against Ravi. Didn't I tell you?"
"Well, duh... I meant, why do you need to mortgage anything? I've got your money, right here!" He said with a chuckle pulling out a cheque from his pocket, "20 Crores as requested. Cashed out my entire Trust Fund just before we went in for Shah Rukh's meeting. But I think this should cover you."
The girls gasped and I stared in surprise at the cheque. I had no idea about this, so they were as surprised as I was. Pooja Didi recovered first though, "Karan... We can't... I mean... we can't possibly take that much money from you..."
"Sure you can..." Karan replied with a shrug, "I mean you guys are my best friends... and I know how desperate you guys were for that money..." he looked sideways at Pooja Didi and Jhanvi's dumbfounded expression and then at me, "I did tell you that day that I'd get you the money. Didn't you tell them that?"
"Oh Karan! You idiot. Thank you... Thank you..." Jhanvi paused for a moment, almost choking for a moment before she pulled Karan into a hug, showering him with kisses on his cheeks. "Thank you... thank you..."
I looked over at Pooja Didi who was wiping a few tears off her cheeks. She mouthed the words 'thank you' to Karan and then joined Jhanvi in hugging him. Both of the sisters held onto him tight, showering him with kisses and hugs.
While the girls were still hugging Karan with tearful smiles. He looked over and grinned at me. I just nodded at my buddy, thanking him again for coming through.
*Ring* *Ring*
Karan who was still being smothered by Jhanvi and Pooja Didi, pulled out his phone from his pocket with difficulty and looked at it with surprise and shock. He instantly pulled himself off the girls.
"Shit!" He muttered. He was sweating a bit now.
I frowned, "Who is it?"
"My Dad. The bank must've informed him that I emptied the trust, I've got to handle this. Give me a minute..."
"Hey Dad... yes... I know... let me explain..." he mumbled, walking off to the corner of the room, "I'm going to have to take this call. I'll be inside..." he told us before heading out to one of the empty guest rooms on our floor.
Pooja Didi and Jhanvi looked at him with worry, and then looked at each other, "Is it okay to leave Karan to handle his father alone?"
I shook my head, "Nah! He's his dad's favourite. He'll make up some excuse and probably get in trouble for a while, but he should be ok!"
"I still can't believe he's actually doing this for us!" Jhanvi exclaimed softly, looking at the closed door, "How are we ever gonna repay him, Chotu?"
"I'm pretty sure Karan's not doing it for a reward..." Pooja Didi replied.
"Yeah! I know, but still... I can't even put it into words... I just wish there was some way I could show him how grateful I am for all that he's doing..." she said, "You should have seen him at Shah Rukh's place. I was only able to pull it off because of Karan being there. We wouldn't have made it through this, without him..."
I nodded and looked at the beautiful sisters who stood in front of me, their faces filled with gratitude towards my best friend. I thought back to my discussion with Pooja Didi the other night and a naughty idea began to take shape in my mind.
"You know what? Maybe there is a way you girls could thank him..."
Both sisters looked over at me, "What do you mean?"
I had noticed the lustful glances Karan had been giving both of them the last two days and my mind went back to that sister swap fuck we had in Goa. As I looked back at the two gorgeous sisters in front of me now, I wondered if this time we could go for a sister fuck instead!
***
"You want us to do what?" Pooja Didi exclaimed in shock.
"I know it sounds crazy but hear me out." I explained, "You both said you wished you knew a way you to show your appreciation for him. And I think this will be the best and sexiest gift for him."
Jhanvi and Pooja Di both exchanged glances and looked back at me with incredulous looks, "You can't be serious!"
"Remember that time at Navratri, when you gave Vivaan a blowjob together. That was hot!" I reminded Jhanvi, "Don't pretend you didn't love it, being fucked by me while you sucked his cock."
I saw Jhanvi blush at the memory and look over at her elder sister, who was also a beetroot red, "Chotu... this is different. It's Karan. I mean he's always had a crush on Tara, but he's never shown any interest in us. I mean he's like a brother to you."
I wrapped my arms around both of their waists, "He's been a better brother to me in the past few weeks then Kishore has been in the last twenty years!" I said, "Trust me, I noticed the looks he gives both of you, and I'm pretty sure he would be open to it if you girls allow him to."