Chapter 34

The first thing she saw when she entered the dining room of the hotel suite was AP Singh. There was a man seated before him, his back to Merlyn. All she could see of him was a head of blond hair and an ubiquitous business suit. Her eyes were drawn to AP.

She was still a bit surprised at the location he had picked for lunch. She had expected him to invite her to his own club. After all, in addition to its other attractions, Sin City was supposed to have the most happening new specialty restaurants in town.

So when Bobby had said he had instructions to take her to The Taj, she had assumed that maybe AP just wanted a change from his own kitchen. But she hadn't expected to be shown into the most luxurious private hotel suite in the city.

It was sinfully luxurious. Eight large rooms, packed with every conceivable pamper-toy a being could want. She couldn't begin to imagine how much it cost to stay here for a night, let alone have a permanent booking, as AP apparently had. (Bobby had been the source of this tidbit too).

Just how rich was this guy anyway? A millionaire, or a billionaire? Whatever the size of his personal fortune, he was still gentlemanly enough to rise to greet her as she approached.

She saw that he was not quite as handsome as she'd thought he was the night before. Then, he'd been her knight errant, her hero in shining armour. But then she had been more than a little disoriented. And his charm had been so palpable, she had easily believed that he was indeed the handsomest man in the world, and she the most beautiful woman.

In the clear light of day, he was much less imposing. Just a man of average height, medium-fair complexion, and a well-maintained but not hunky bod. Immaculately dressed in a superb business suit, the kind she had seen venture capitalists wear at contract-signing meetings. A face that could hardly be described as handsome. And yet, as she grew closer to the table, he seemed to grow, expand in stature and charm, until she began to doubt her first impressions and slip easily into the illusion of the night before. It was something about the way he looked at her, as if they were the only two important people left on earth.

She remembered something a friend had said to her once:

"Powerful, rich men are always attractive, even if they're potbellied and bald." Those words were Lien Tsung's, her best friend back in Singapore where she'd worked for two years before coming back to Bombay. Last heard, Lien had found and married a powerful, rich man just as she always wanted. He was tall, thin and old, not potbellied and bald, but Merlyn had remembered thinking: "That's something I'd never do." Now, with Hemant gone and AP before her, she wasn't so sure.