Scorpio Superstar (Written in the Stars Book 1)

  “I’ve invited your family to the premiere of my new release,” said Chandrakanth, remembering suddenly.

  “You have? Does the invite include me?” she asked, a smile in her huge black eyes, her tongue tucked firmly in cheek.

  “Let me see.” Chandrakanth looked away for a couple of seconds before turning his searing gaze on her. “As my wife, would you really need an invite?”

  Ranjini just stared at him, rendered completely speechless. “Are you mad?” When she finally spoke after two full minutes of absolute silence, her words were a fierce whisper, even as longing tore at her heart. He must be joking, of course.

  Chandrakanth didn’t reply immediately as a waiter brought their drinks and starter. After the man left, he lifted his glass of whiskey and raised it in a toast. “To the woman I want to wed.”

  Ranjini continued to gape at him, her appetite having deserted her. “It’s not funny, Chandrakanth.”

  He took a sip from his glass before placing it down carefully, his heated brown gaze never leaving hers. “Who said I am joking? I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

  SCORPIO SUPERSTAR

  (Written in the Stars #1)

  A romance novel by

  Sundari Venkatraman

  Copyright © Sundari Venkatraman 2017

  Self-published in 2017 under the banner Flaming Sun

  All rights reserved.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author-publisher.

  Sundari Venkatraman asserts the moral right to be identified as the author & publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Edited by: The Book Club Editorial Panel

  Beta-Proofread by: Nikita Jhanglani

  Cover Illustration: Unaiza Merchant

  Books

  by

  Sundari Venkatraman

  Standalone novels

  The Malhotra Bride

  Meghna

  The Runaway Bridegroom

  The Madras Affair

  An Autograph for Anjali

  Twin Torment

  Finding Anya

  Mr. Perfect

  Collection of shorts

  Matches Made in Heaven

  Tales of Sunshine

  Box Set

  Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters from India

  Flaming Sun Collection 2: Marriages Made in India

  Flaming Sun Collection 3: Perfect Twins Find Anya (coming soon)

  Novel series

  (Marriages Made in India)

  #1 Her Smitten Husband

  #2 His Drunken Wife

  #3 Her Secret Husband

  #4 The Casanova’s Wife

  #5 Her Bohemian Husband

  Novel series

  (The Bansal Legacy)

  #1 Simha International

  #2 Rose Garden International

  #3 Maharaja International

  Novel series

  (Written in the Stars)

  #1 Scorpio Superstar

  This special birthday edition (August 2017) is for Bharati, an ex-colleague and dear friend. What truly impresses me about Bharati is the way she chooses to lead a happy life, whatever be the circumstance. She is one of the most hardworking people that I know. Love you Bharati! #respect

  On the Scorpio-Pisces match...

  The strange result the Pisces woman's entrancement with a Scorpio man leads to, more times than not, is love—followed by marriage.

  A Scorpio man has a strong will, intense feelings and deep convictions, and will strenuously resist any attempt to lead him anywhere he does not wish to go, both symbolically and literally. He will also be more than a little suspicious. Yet, for all his suspiciousness of her, he'll expect to be trusted implicitly, not just sexually, but in all his judgments of matters pertaining to both of them. It's a bit selfish of him. Actually, it's very selfish of him.

  The average Pisces woman won't panic over her Scorpion's occasional manifestations of male macho. She may even be secretly amused, and in any case, she can handle it. All the while he believes he's getting his way, she'll be sweetly and smoothly bringing him closer to capture in Neptune's fragile-strong net. This woman possesses within her every single feminine wile man has feared since Eve, and a few more that are uniquely hers alone.

  -Linda Goodman

  Author’s Note

  Tamil cinema refers to Indian motion pictures produced in the language of Tamil. Based in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the hub of the Tamil film industry is in the Kodambakkam neighbourhood of Chennai. Kollywood is a colloquial term used to describe this industry, the word being a portmanteau of Kodambakkam and Hollywood. Tamil cinema has been described as the second largest industry of South Indian Cinema after Telugu Cinema and accounting for the third-largest global box office gross after Hindi cinema (also known as Bollywood) and Telugu cinema among all Indian film industries. (Source: Wikipedia)

  In this industry, a star is equal to a demigod and the rest of the film unit toes its line around him. He is treated with an extremely high level of respect by even the producers and directors who are the next highest in rank.

  Then again, the star who also practises humility is the one who goes on to become a superstar. And I have done my best to portray my hero in this story along those lines, with little glimpses into the star, the man and his home life. Hope you like Scorpio Superstar, my first book in this series called Written in the Stars based on star signs.

  Acknowledgement

  Thank you God for choosing to live the life of a writer through me and making me indie into the bargain. Love you!

  Thank you so much Lakshmi Ranganathan for all your inputs on Kollywood and Chennai. You are the best!

  1

  Ranjini couldn’t sit still. She finger-combed her hair with a trembling hand as she looked in the full length mirror of her wardrobe. She didn’t notice the slim figure in jeans and t-shirt as she continued to fret over her choice of clothes. Was she dressed too casually? Working from home or coffee shops, jeans and t-shirts had become a kind of uniform. But then, one didn’t get to meet a ‘star’ every day, a superstar at that.

  She opened her wardrobe and ran through the few formal tops that hung there. ‘Tch!’ None of them was good enough. Finally, she pulled a black number off the hanger and removing her t-shirt, pulled it on.

  What Ranjini didn’t see in the mirror was an ultra-slim figure with luscious breasts enhanced by the body-hugging black top that was made of a synthetic material that clung in all the right places. And again, she didn’t take into account her gorgeous face with huge, black-as-coal eyes outlined by long and curling lashes.

  She rushed to the door when she heard the bell. It was Vivek. Ranjini looked at the car at the gate, wondering if Chandrakanth was waiting in it. Vivek smiled as he said, “Hello Ranjini, CK’s waiting for you in his guest house. He has back-to-back meetings with some directors and producers at his home and that’s why the change of plan.”

  “Oh!
Okay, give me a sec, I’ll get my bag,” said Ranjini breathlessly before turning to lug her backpack.

  “Let me help you,” said Vivek, putting his hand out to take the bag from her.

  Ranjini shook her head. “I can manage Vivek.” She preferred her independence.

  They walked to the white Maruti Swift that was parked at the gate of her cottage and got in. Vivek started the car as Ranjini wore the seat belt. Her heartbeat that had gone up with the ring of the doorbell had just got back to normal. They didn’t speak as Vivek concentrated on traversing the hilly roads of Kotagiri. It was a fifteen-minute drive from Ranjini’s home to Chandrakanth’s—CK’s—guesthouse. The original plan had been for Chandrakanth and Vivek to pick Ranjini and hold the meeting in a secluded coffee shop. Ranjini was truly excited and a tad nervous about meeting the ‘man of her dreams’ who was also one of the top film heroes of Kollywood—Tamil cinema.

  Vivek drove the car up the drive of a lovely compound that was full of trees and flowering plants. Before Ranjini could take it all in, the car stopped at the portico. A security guard jumped to attention and opened the car door even before Ranjini had unlatched her seatbelt. She got out and this time she had no choice but to relinquish her back pack for security check. As soon as she was done, Vivek led her inside to the hall where Chandrakanth was seated.

  Ranjini’s heartbeat picked up again. She was finally going to meet her idol in the flesh. But, to her disappointment, there were half a dozen people sitting around him. It looked like their meeting was going to be very public—not quite what she had envisaged.

  Chandrakanth stopped midsentence as his intense coffee brown gaze alighted on the woman who was standing at the entrance to his guesthouse. Used to having a tight control over his emotions, even he found it a tad difficult holding back his dropping jaw. So, this was Ranjini Sethuraman, the woman who handled his website. She was drop dead gorgeous with glowing brown skin and huge black eyes.

  Chandrakanth tried hard to concentrate on the conversation he was holding with Murugesan, the director of his upcoming film, but his heart wasn’t in it any more, not after looking at the woman who had entered his home. He sprang lithely to his feet, indicating the meeting was over. The director and his assistant were too well-mannered and a little in awe of the star. Not uttering a word, they got up too, realising that they had lost Chandrakanth’s attention completely.

  As a servant showed them out of the hall, Chandrakanth’s secretary guided Ranjini into the actor’s presence. Chandrakanth was too used to the glamorous world of cinema to be easily enamoured by a lovely face or figure. But the woman who was walking towards him pulled at his heartstrings.

  She was too attractive for words, her velvet black eyes staring directly into his chocolate gaze, without blinking even once. Her luscious, pouty lips were parted in a smile that showed a set of perfect pearly whites. Her nose was sharp and prominent while her golden brown skin only seemed to add to her beauty. A small scowl disturbed Chandrakanth’s handsome features when he suddenly realised that he wasn’t too happy about Vivek’s familiarity with the young lady. All this in the few seconds it took Vivek to guide the woman closer to the star as they walked down the length of the hall.

  “CK,” said Vivek, “Meet Ranjini, your website and social media consultant.” Not just a beauty it seemed. She had brains too! His rapid mind went through the data he had on her. She had set up his website, updated it regularly and promptly and ran his Facebook page. He even used her guidance via email and WhatsApp to handle his Twitter account. Fiery excitement ran rife in his blood. Why hadn’t he met her before?! But then, as his personal assistant, it was Vivek who dealt with everyone who dealt with the superstar’s promotional activities.

  “Ranjini, this is Chandrakanth, the star. Of course you know who he is,” said Vivek with a smile.

  Chandrakanth shook her hand saying, “Hello Ranjini. So, you are the dynamic lady who handles my website. I’m glad to meet you in person finally. How long has it been? Two years?” He was surprised at himself as he spoke rapidly. It wasn’t like him to chat so much, especially during a first meeting. It was obvious from Vivek’s expression that he too was astonished by his boss’s behaviour.

  Ranjini’s smile turned wider while her eyes glowed with anticipation. It wasn’t every day that one met a matinee idol. All the pictures and videos that she had uploaded on his website didn’t do justice to Chandrakanth’s personality. The energy that emanated from the star was palpable. She ran her eyes quickly over the man’s attire of casual cotton pants in a deep shade of tan, teamed with a linen half-shirt in a shade of rich cream. He was tall, obviously over six feet. His wavy, dark hair was brushed back neatly while his simmering brown eyes were crinkled at the corners. Her heart beat hard in her chest when she put her small hand in his large one before he guided her to a comfortable settee, rather shaken by the electric sizzle that she felt at the touch. She couldn’t help but be impressed when he waited for her to get comfortable before sitting down next to her.

  Vivek felt superfluous as he watched the instant chemistry between the two. He walked away to order coffee and snacks anticipating his boss’s needs, as always.

  Ranjini was unaware that she was staring open-mouthed. She couldn’t help it though, for the term ‘larger than life’ fitted Chandrakanth perfectly. In fact, he was more handsome in person, which seemed impossible. Actors tended to look better on screen because of the perfect make-up they wore. Was he naturally so good-looking or did he wear make-up all the time?

  Sitting down beside him, Ranjini finally focused on his famous chocolate eyes. Could brown ever be called sexy? Well, it seemed so. His eyes glowed like melted chocolate. She forgot to smile as she caught sight of a jet black lock of hair playing on his broad forehead. She had a tough time controlling her fingers from running through what looked like rough silk. A hawk like nose, flat cheeks and chiselled lips were followed by a chin with a cleft. And then there was the handlebar moustache that ran down the grooves on both sides of his mouth. She noted the smile that showed even white teeth. How could he have become more handsome on smiling? It was simply too much.

  Ranjini didn’t quite know what she said in reply and she definitely wasn’t the tongue-tied sort.

  Chandrakanth studied the slightly built woman in front of him. That she was an engineer who wrote codes and was in charge of his extremely popular website was a wonder. If he had met her without knowing this, he would probably have believed that she was a college student. It was obvious that she was nervous as well. He wasn’t too bothered about that reaction as it was a pretty common one when people met him. It came with being a celebrity.

  “What would you like to have? Some coffee? Or maybe something cold?” The sexy drawl in his voice strummed the strings of her heart. Ranjini was looking around the hall—anywhere but at his face. She was rather shaken as she pressed her slender hands to her knees to stop them from trembling. On hearing him, she looked up at Chandrakanth and he felt the strong pull of those doe-like eyes. They looked huge in her intense face. He noticed her run a quick tongue over lips that were coated with brown gloss. Her brown skin had a sheen that appeared young and healthy.

  Throat parched in tension, Ranjini croaked, “Some water.” She had to repeat herself before Chandrakanth understood her. He signalled to someone in the background and asked for water, as well as coffee, to be served.

  Quickly recalling Ranjini’s résumé to mind, Chandrakanth asked her, “You finished your engineering and set up shop on your own?”

  Gulping the water thirstily, Ranjini replied in a husky voice, “Not exactly. I worked with TCS for a couple of years before I became independent.”

  Chandrakanth nodded, his keen eyes studying her. “So, is it a one-woman show?”

  Why was he interviewing her after two years? Did he feel she wasn’t good enough? That put her back up in defence. Ranjini sat up straighter, her body language subtly changing, prepping up for an argument. “No, not exactly.�
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  It was obvious that Chandrakanth was waiting for her to continue but she didn’t oblige. Let him tell her what it was that he exactly wanted to know. Ranjini knew her job, was excellent at it and it spoke for itself. She wasn’t going to give him an explanation at this point in time. The kind of traffic he got for his website and Facebook page was simply incredible. Though most of the credit went to his stardom, quite a bit was thanks to her. Too bad if he wasn’t able to appreciate it.

  Realising that she wasn’t going to elaborate, Chandrakanth asked her, “Do you manage everything yourself or do you have someone working for you?”

  “Is this a belated interview of sorts?” she asked challengingly. Better to find out first. Chandrakanth’s account was a big one. But it wasn’t the only one she had. If he wasn’t happy with her services, too bad! She wasn’t going to bend over backwards to explain herself to him just because he was a superstar. Ranjini felt defiant at the interrogation, her mind working furiously.