Susanna Carr - Secrets of a Bollywood Marriage

“You can find a role—a good one, a career-changing one—with the right connections.”

“No kidding.” It was a well-known fact of the industry. She kept auditioning for roles while the children of Bollywood legends were offered starring roles without trying for them. It didn’t matter if they couldn’t act, dance or speak Hindi. It wasn’t fair, but it was the business. Every Bollywood movie needed a big name.

“I can use my connections for you,” Dev said. “If you stay in this marriage.”

“No, thank you. I didn’t use them while we were together and I’m not using them now.” Every reporter had suggested she had married Dev for her career. Those accusations stung, but most of all, she didn’t want Dev to think it was true.

“I can find a project for you that Arjun Entertainment is producing.”

“So you can control my career the same way you tried to control me?” she shot back.

He gave her a thunderous look. “I can use those very connections against you, jaan.”

Tina’s mouth dropped. “What are you saying? That you will have me blacklisted?” she asked in a horrified whisper as the tears sprang in her eyes. “If I don’t agree to this arrangement, you’ll ruin my career?”

Dev didn’t say anything.

“I need to work.” Her mother and sisters relied on her salary. Directors knew she was reliable and hardworking, but none of that would matter if the Arjun family made their wishes known. “You can’t do that!”

Her husband was unmoved by her pleas. “Act like a devoted wife for the next two months—until after our wedding anniversary—and I will grant you a divorce.”

* * *

Dev regretted the moment those words came out of his mouth. He would never destroy the career Tina had spent most of her life building. The only time he had kept her from working was when her health had been at risk. Even then, it had been too late. They had already lost their baby boy. He would do anything to make her dreams come true, but he wasn’t going to lose her like they lost their son. She should know that.

But Tina had decided he was the enemy. An obstacle she needed to overcome. Since they had married he had treated her like delicately spun glass. Had been careful not to upset his pregnant bride. Not that it had done any good. They’d still lost the baby and it had created more distance between them. It was time to change tactics.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she asked brokenly. Dev couldn’t bear to see her like this, but it was nothing like the deadened look she had given him four months ago. That had scared him in a way that still gave him nightmares. “Is this because your career suffered when you married me? Is this some sort of payback?”

“I need a wife.” He needed Tina. His life had always been focused sharply on his career until the moment he had seen Tina Sharma on the stage during a wedding. The woman danced like fire. Her movements were sensual and spellbinding. Fierce and elemental. It was as if she was dancing just for him. He knew he had to claim her.

Their whirlwind affair had showed no signs of slowing down. They were electrifying in bed. It still amazed him that Tina had been a virgin when they met. She knew how to make him hot and rock-hard faster than the most experienced seductress.

He’d always known that she loved him and had never questioned it until the fire inside her had snuffed out. Dev had thought maybe her love wasn’t strong enough to last a lifetime. It had begun to fade and nothing he’d done had been able to stop it.

Her love couldn’t have been that strong. Couldn’t have been real. Perhaps it had been simply desire. Infatuation. Maybe she had been in love with the fantasy hero he had created onscreen.

When he’d seen her standing in the billiards room tonight, his first thought had been that his mind had been playing tricks. He had dreamed of Tina every night and his wishes had spilled into his waking moments. Yet this time her beautiful face was bare and her ebony hair stood up in spikes. Her wrinkled and loose clothes concealed her gentle curves. He hadn’t been dreaming. She had finally returned. He’d thought this was a sign that she wanted to save their marriage. Instead she wanted to break the bond between them.

“I don’t want to be your wife,” Tina said.

Dev braced himself as those words pierced him. He was going to change her mind. All he needed was time and the fire that had slowly extinguished between them would burn hot and strong again. Only this time he wouldn’t ignore the signs of trouble. “Play along for the next two months and I will not contest the divorce,” he lied.

“Two months?” She shook her head. “That’s too long.”

It wasn’t long enough. “Pretend to be a devoted, adoring wife. It shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He wondered now how much of the love she expressed had been genuine. If it had been real, how could he have lost it so quickly? “You’re an actress. You can do it.”

Tina cast him a suspicious look. “And what do you mean by devoted and adoring wife?”

“We act like a happily married couple.” At this moment, he would accept the fake intimacy and forced smiles. Anything that he could build on. “There are people watching us all the time. Servants, the public, our colleagues. We can’t give them any indication that we’re going to get a divorce.”

“Does this mean you’re going to act like a devoted and adoring husband?”

He frowned. “Yes, of course.” He didn’t need to pretend. His conduct shouldn’t be questioned. “We will share this house and a bed.”

She held her hands up and took a step back. “I’m not agreeing to that.”

Dev gritted his teeth. Where was the newlywed bride who had been so eager to start their married life? Where was the seductive woman who would find him at his desk in the middle of the night and drag him back to bed? “You are in no position to negotiate.”

Tina bent her head and curled in her shoulders. She wrung her hands and whispered something to herself. Dev watched as she struggled to make a decision. She acted as if she was making an unpalatable deal with the devil.

She suddenly lifted her head and met his gaze. “I will stay here for two months,” she said furiously. “I will act like a devoted wife if I have to, but I am not having sex with you.”

“Wait until you get an offer before you reject it,” he said coldly. There had been a time when she couldn’t keep her hands off him. Did she hate him that much? Was this plan to regain her love impossible? “But we will need to sleep in the same bed.”

“Then you’ll need to sleep with one eye open,” she said with false sweetness.

“Tina, nothing you say or do is going to scare me off.” He leaned down until his mouth almost brushed her ear. “Or are you the one who’s scared? Worried that you’ll reach out for me in the middle of the night.”

“No!” She jumped back as if she’d been burned. “That was before I learned that you were not the kind of husband I wanted.”

And he had two months to prove to Tina that he was the only man she needed. “We need to return to our guests,” he said as he reached for her hand.

She crossed her arms tightly. “I’m in no mood to party.”

“I don’t care.” Dev continued to hold out his hand. She had finally come back into his life and he wanted her at his side. He wasn’t going to give her any excuse to create more distance.

She threaded her tense fingers in her short hair and looked down at her jeans. “I need to change first.”

“No.” She would barricade herself into the room the first chance she got.

Tina’s lips flattened into a stern line as she debated her next move. Dev was tempted to grab her hand and gather her close. Hold her tightly against him until their heartbeats were in unison and their movements were one.