Chapter 53

Shauna entered the reception of The Honeymoon Retreat looking nothing like the woman who had spent three days mooning and moping at home. It had taken a quick workout at the gym, two solid hours at Nalini Yasmin, and a brand new Rocky S outfit, but she was back in the game. Glancing at her reflection in a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall mirror in the plush lounge, she knew she looked her old self.

She knew it from the way the men in the hotel lobby turned to look at her -- and kept on looking.

She knew it from the way that paunchy dark man in the safari suit licked his lips without taking his eyes off her very mini miniskirt, while his equally fat, equally dark saree-clad wife glared angrily but enviously at her and then at her husband.

But on the inside she felt like the old Shauna had died and been reincarnated as a new, deadlier avatar. A new Shauna who was determined to do whatever had to be done to regain her twin sister's confidence.

She smiled at the good-looking young hospitality manager at the reception. "I believe my husband has booked us in." Vikram, his nametag said, and under other circumstances she might have been tempted to flirt a bit with him. Perhaps do more than just flirt.

But right now, she was here for a purpose. And it was very important that she did everything perfectly, made no mistakes.

She couldn't bear to live without Sherie. She had to prove to her sister that this man, this slimy specimen of the male species, was the one responsible for driving them apart. Not her. Not Shauna. Milan was the serpent in their idyllic garden. She had to prove this to Sherie before the specimen poisoned her sister's mind further.

The good-looking young reception clerk finished checking his comp and smiled warmly. "Yes, Mrs Vardhe." He glanced briefly (but brightly) at her low-cut neckline. "You're booked into Room 203. Mr Vardhe said he would join you by 8.30, he's been slightly delayed."

Shauna smiled as she took the electronic passkey, letting her fingers brush tantalizingly against the clerk's hand, and walked to the elevators, aware that his eyes were fixed to the sight of her shapely rear moving from side to side.

Inside the room, she did what she had to as quickly and efficiently as she did everything. The detective agency had been very prompt and helpful. She was impressed by the sophistication of their equipment and their swift service. She made a mental note to give them a little bonus after this was over. She placed the handbag on the table, adjusting it delicately until she was satisfied that the hidden camera placed inside it was facing the bed. She felt a thrill of excitement. So this was what those tehelka guys had felt like during their suitcase expose.

She switched it on and set it to the Voice-Activation mode. Now, the moment she or Milan began speaking, it would start to record. And to keep it recording, all she had to do was make sure that she made an audible sound before five minutes of silence had lapsed. With what she had in mind, she doubted that there would be even a minute of silence in the room. She ordered champagne from Room Service and let it cool in the ice bucket as she flipped through a magazine.

As the clock ticked toward 8.40, she reached for her cellphone. She would not let herself think of the possibility that he would ditch her. That wasn't possible. Milan would come. He had to come. Her entire plan depended on him coming. She smiled at the accidental double entendre: Her entire plan depended on him coming. In more ways than one.

She had just pressed the dial button to call him when there was a brief knock at the door and it opened immediately after, without waiting for an invitation.

Milan stood there for a moment, looking at her, then swept the room, his eyes coming to rest on the plastic bucket filled with crushed ice and champagne. He looked tanned, as if he had just spent a few days on the beach. She wondered if Sherie had acquired the same tan. Shauna felt her heart pulse once, deafeningly, then settle back into its normal rhythm.

"Come on in," she said. "Champagne's getting lonely."