Saris and the City

by Rekha Waheed

Genres: Romance

Synopsis

Love, lingerie and family loyalties collide in this sexy, sassy tale of chasing success - but at what cost? When ambitious City analyst Yasmin Yusuf's hope for a traditional 'happy ever after' in the romance stakes is shattered she decides there's only one course of action: get smart, sexy and successful. And what better way to achieve it than by turning around a failing lingerie company? Swept head-first into her glamorous new job by suave private banker Zachary Khan, Yasmin is soon clashing with snobby fashionistas, pedantic accountants, her culturally conservative Bengali family and, worst of all, Hannah Gibbs-Smythson, Zach's indomitable senior advisor. With the odds stacked against her and her attraction to Zach complicating matters even further, the stakes for Yasmin have never been higher... Is she prepared to risk everything for the success she craves?

Release date: August 14, 2014

Publisher: Headline

Print pages: 356

Sample

Copyright 2010 Rekha Waheed

The right of Rekha Waheed to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.

First published as an ebook in 2014 by HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with
prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright
Licensing Agency.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

Cover illustration by Lauren Bishop

eISBN 978 1 4722 2535 1

HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP An Hachette UK Company 338 Euston Road London NW1 3BH

www.headline.co.uk www.hachette.co.uk

Table of Contents


Title Page

Copyright Page

About the Author

Also by Rekha Waheed

About the Book

Acknowledgements

Lesson One: If hes the bad boy and youre the good girl, you will get burnt

Lesson Two: A woman knows when her man doesnt love her

Lesson Three: If youve loved and lost, make a clean break by losing the memories, trinkets and token gestures

Lesson Four: Female instincts were created for a reason; listen to them

Lesson Five: New beginnings are good, but you have to make time for them

Lesson Six: It may give you some ideas if you pop into La Senza, La Perla or Coco de Mer

Lesson Seven: When a man loves a woman, she feels it

Lesson Eight: Taking the smallest step can make the biggest difference to your life

Lesson Nine: Everyone deserves a second chance

Lesson Ten: Its about being brave, doing the unexpected, trying things that no one else has the courage to do

Lesson Eleven: Afford yourself respect by not compromising

Lesson Twelve: Refuse to allow yourself to have unrealistic expectations of a man

Lesson Thirteen: Enjoy being you: not a wannabe younger or innocent you; enjoy being you now

Lesson Fourteen: The only thing self-help books fail to tell you is how to be you

Lesson Fifteen: Invitations arent always welcoming

Lesson Sixteen: Mixing business with pleasure is not for the weak

Lesson Seventeen: Women should do emotions like they do business

Lesson Eighteen: The past always catches up with you

Lesson Nineteen: Dreams once broken may stay broken

Lesson Twenty: When that unimaginable, bewildering, wonderful thing does happen, you feel alive

Lesson Twenty-One: Happy-ever-after only comes if you chase it

Five interesting things about Rekha Waheed:

Born and raised in West London, Rekha graduated from SOAS, University of London, with a BSc. and Masters in Economics. She brings the intricacies of
cosmopolitan, city-savvy, Brit-Asian Muslim experiences to the mainstream. My family and friends used to call me the Ice Princess, a reputation that I
busted with the release of my first chick lit book The A-Z Guide to Arranged Marriage
. Im driven by a hundred different dreams and find it impossible to
relax. Im a planning freak who loves every type of food in the world, travelling and Chanel No. 5 perfume, and would make one brilliant E! News presenter.
I wish I could cook intuitively, without burning, over/under cooking or forgetting what ingredients, spices and herbs make for a good meal. Until then, Im
happy to continue to extend my encyclopaedic knowledge of the best restaurants in London.

By Rekha Waheed and available as ebooks from Headline
Saris and the City My Bollywood Wedding

About the Book


What matters most . . . career, family or falling in love?
Ambitious City analyst Yasmin Yusuf had hopes for a traditional happily ever after. But now
theyve been shattered, theres only one course of action: get smart, sexy and successful.

Throwing herself into her new job restoring the fortunes of a failing lingerie company, Yasmin is soon clashing with snobby fashionistas, her conservative
Bengali family and, worst of all, the indomitable Hannah Gibbs-Smythson. Plus shes struggling with her annoying attraction to the super-smooth banker
Zachary Khan. It looks like the odds are stacked against her. And when you risk everything for success, theres always a chance you could crash and burn

Love, lingerie and loyalties collide in this fabulously feisty romance from Rekha Waheed.
Acknowledgements


First of all, I have to thank the Almighty for all that I have been blessed with.

For bringing this novel to life, I thank Nazim, Mum & Dad, and my dearest brothers and sisters.

My sincere gratitude extends to Laura Longrigg, Claire Baldwin and Charles Beckitt for their invaluable guidance. I would also like to thank the Arts
Council for their support.

Danyal, Alayna, Suhailah every day you light up my world. Shabab, Lamisha, Armaan, and Liyana, keep laughing!

Finally, I would like to dedicate this book to Nazim, for making me smile through tears; and for Adam, my most wonderful reminder that every eventuality is
a blessing.

Lesson One: If hes the bad boy and youre the good girl, you will get burnt


Somewhere amongst a world population of 6.7 billion people, smart single savvy women expect to find The One. Even if you discounted the vast majority of
that population as ineligible, you would soon figure out that the odds were stacked against us women. And yet for some reason we refuse to settle for Mr
Nice or Mr Dependable or Mr He Doesnt Make My Heart Race and My Knees Go Weak, because despite the odds, we are programmed to believe that nothing less
than The One will do. We ignore the mathematics in the hope that one day Mr Right will turn up and become The One.

As implausible as this sounds, somehow I had defied the odds and found The One. And tonight well, it was the
night, the night Id dreamt of, even craved
for, since I understood the mathematics of actually finding The One. I had imagined the moment a hundred times over. That moment where, perfectly composed,
I would raise my gaze to lock with his, and then curb a slow sexy smile just before my One asked me that question: Will you marry me?
And then he would open
up the small iconic mint green ring box before me, and I would freeze and catch my breath, because it was the Tiffanys Jean Schlumberger sixteen-stone
ring. The sparkling diamond would mesmerise me and I would simply whisper: Yes
.

You see, tonight was that night for me. Im Yasmin Yusuf, and Im a thirty-year-old Deshi girl, a Bengali babe with a career. For far too long Id immersed
myself in chasing a cosmopolitan City career instead of that one-carat diamond ring that pledged marital bliss. Id learnt too late that happiness for me
was not promised by politically navigated promotions, but was in fact found in the arms of The One. And tonight, my One was going to commit to me. I held
out my ring-free left hand and stared down at it.

Yes! I whispered, smiling at the thought of wearing the Schlumberger.

Good. I jumped at the heavy document that fell on to my desk. Eight p.m.

What?

You said yes. The deep, rich tone was patronising. Youre the market analyst; do your job and get me the information before eight p.m. I turned and
found Zachary Khan walking away. I looked back at the thick document and stared at it. Then it dawned on me. Day end clashed with dinner: the
dinner, my

dinner. Grabbing the document, I raced after him.

Wait, wait does it have to be day end? I called out, stopping sharp to avoid bumping into him. Would first thing tomorrow morning do?

Ive got a conference call scheduled with our guys in New York tonight, so no, tomorrow morning wont do.

I stared at the banker in front of me. Zach was disarmingly handsome and lethally driven, a combination that most women found intoxicating. It was
inevitable that I couldnt maintain the intense stare.

Anything else?

I wanted to say yes but my brain refused to respond. As hard as I tried not to notice how handsome he was or how his hazel eyes pierced through me, I
couldnt speak. He frowned at my silence and then turned to walk away. I hit my forehead in frustration and looked up at his disappearing form.

Im getting married, I announced. My colleagues stilled around me and watched as Zach slowly turned around. I cringed at my desperate outburst and waited
as the awkward silence continued around us.

I take it youre not getting married tonight? The question was crisp and yet underlined with contained humour.

No, no Im not, I answered. I I mean, Im getting engaged. Tonight. At seven thirty.

Congratulations. His salutation lacked any enthusiasm. Make sure you leave the findings with my PA on your way out. And he walked away, leaving me
stunned by his lack of consideration. My colleagues busied themselves to fill the humiliating silence. Phone calls were made. Keyboards were frantically
tapped upon. Conversations were started without purpose. I raised an eyebrow and counted to ten before I followed Zach.

Zach, Im trying to manage your expectations

Good, I want to be well briefed before my meeting, he cut in.

I dont think Ill have enough time to review

Then make time. I stopped at Zachs tone and looked at him directly. He was testing me, and my commitment to Abraham & Co., the private bank I had worked
for for more than two years, as well as my commitment to my career. I looked down at the heavy document I had to review for his meeting and shook my head. I
paused and chose my words carefully.

I dont think you understand

No, I dont think you
understand how important this meeting is, Zach stated. How many clients do I have, Yasmin?

Eleven.

Whats the size of the portfolio I manage? I looked at him and knew he was going to make me spell out why I would end up working late for him.

Roughly six hundred and fifty million

More like one point three billion, making each client worth about a hundred million. So when I ask for information on a new prospect, you understand how
important it is for the firm to win?

Zach stared at me and waited for an answer. I cleared my throat and looked away from him. There was no point in appealing to his human side. He was one of
those people where no one could tell what his background was. His lifestyle was that of the high-flying, jet-setting and hard-partying. One fact everyone
knew was that his sharp, sophisticated, ruthless style left many of the female executives at work burnt. Now, though, with my engagement dinner at risk, his
pushiness served to evoke anger in me.

Yes, but unlike you, I have a life to build
, I wanted to say. Instead I nodded reluctantly.

Why dont you brief me about the prospect at seven?

I held his hazel eyes as he forced me to make the decision to put his needs before my life.

OK. I accepted without any emotion. He smiled.

Good, Ill see you at seven then.

I frowned at his amused tone. It sounded like he was asking me out on a date. The light in his eyes told me he enjoyed provoking me.

Fine, I stated, refusing to break the contact.

I look forward to it. He actually looked like he was stopping himself from grinning. I turned on my heel to walk away without another word. Make sure
youre wearing the right lingerie. I froze in disbelief, my cheeks burning at what he was implying. Slowly I looked back at him, mortified, and watched him
cock a brow. He read my shock and grinned. For your dinner tonight. You know us guys dont care how late you run, as long as the lingerie makes it worth
the wait.

The penny dropped and I was lost for words.

I need to uh I should get started I stopped, cleared my throat and patted the document. Unable to think of one single half-decent reply to put him
in his place, I turned around to walk back to my desk. I felt his eyes piercing into my back and concentrated on not tripping on my ridiculously high heels.
Each step took effort as my knees felt weak and for some stupid reason my heart was pounding away. I fell into my chair, placed the document on my desk and
leaned forward to type. All the while, I darent look back.

You need a coffee. Mia appeared at my side in an instant.

Is he still standing there? I whispered, unable to move. Mia was more than my work buddy; she was my confidante. We met on my first day at Abraham & Co.,
and as fellow analysts we hit it off from the get-go. Perfectly groomed, a model for the latest design trends and totally driven, Mia took no prisoners and
afforded a level of honesty that was alien to most City girls. Trust me, every girl needs a Mia.

Hes long gone. Youve been tangoed by Zach and you need a coffee, Mia told me as she grabbed the pitch document and led me by my arm to the coffee
break-out area. Did you have to announce your unconfirmed engagement to the entire office?

There isnt anything unconfirmed about it, I corrected as Mia collected two cappuccinos from the vending machine. Zach Khans going to ruin my life.

First up, Miss Exaggeration, many girls here have said that. Only he did far worse than drop a pitch document with an impossible deadline on their desk,
Mia said as I sank on to a leather couch and took the coffee from her. Secondly, he got to you.

He did not.

Sure he did! Mia sat down beside me and crossed her long lithe legs. She was a striking woman with long black curly hair, glowing caramel complexion and
the most dangerously disarming smile. And right at this time, I couldnt avoid her interrogating dark brown eyes or her cheeky wide grin.

He did not!

If you say so

Hes an arrogant, patronising, egotistical banker who uses his good looks to disarm women, I threw back as Mia raised a brow and took a sip of coffee. He
walks around here like hes a God-given gift to womankind. He also hides his background and pretends to be something hes not. You know how I hate that.

Hes the fourth-largest fee-earner for the firm, Yasmin; he manages over a billion dollars in the Wealth Management Group, so its a fact that hes going
to have a God mentality, Mia pointed out. And theres nothing wrong with admitting that you fancy him. Hes drop-dead gorgeous. I
fancy him and I have a
man. Trust me, Yasmin, its easier if you admit it.

I dont fancy him, I stated. And then I looked at Mia. I cant fancy Zachary Khan, Im getting engaged tonight.

I get it. Mia laughed as she sat forward to look at me.

What? I leaned back from her. What do you get?

You feel guilty for fancying Zach.

He asked me if I had the right lingerie on. If he asked you
that, hed distract you.

He what? Mia whispered in disbelief.

Can I sue him for sexual harassment? I asked as Mia waited for an explanation.

He hit on you!

Sssshhhh! I breathed out as Kevin, the office gossip, wandered into the break-out area.

He hit on you! Mia repeated, loud enough to make Kevin stop and stare at us. Zachary Khan asked you about your panties.

He did not ask about my panties, I corrected, turning to smile at Kevin, who busied himself by the vending machine. Would you lower your voice!

Yasmin Yusuf, that man asked you about your panties and youre telling me to be quiet. Are you insane, girl? Mia had grown up with a Jamaican father and a
Filipino mother in the wrong part of Hackney. Every so often her roots shone through like a brilliant sun on a gloomy miserable winter day. Only sometimes,
much like a brilliant sun, you often felt burnt by her energy.

Mia, Im so not his type. Im the complete opposite to the haughty, stick-thin, moody types we always see him with. Kevin stood by the fruit basket and
inspected the range in a way that told you he had time to waste. Anyhow, why are we talking about Zach when Im getting engaged tonight?

You mean youre not the slightest bit interested?

I shook my head at her question. There was no hesitation in my heart or mind that Samuel was the only man for me. Zach may be handsome and disarming, but I
already have the most wonderful man.

Yeah, hes a right Prince Charming, Mia muttered, making no apologies for disliking Samuel.

Hes going to do right by me, Mia. Hes going to do the honourable thing tonight.

So, youve told your family about him?

I stared at my friend and she knew that I hadnt. With no more gossip to gain, Kevin chose an orange and headed back to his desk.

We have to decide on the details before I stopped at Mias smirk. Be happy for me, Mia.

Yasmin, you know

Mia, thirty-plus Bengali girls like me dont get proposals from my community, those are given to girls ten years younger than me, and yet somehow Ive
managed to find someone whos right for me.

But is
he right for you? I looked away. Yasmin, I know you were up at the crack of dawn trying on a million different outfits, changing hairstyles, and
he wont so much as notice it, let alone give you a compliment.

I should get started

Yasmin, I dont mean to bring you down. Mia grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving.

So please dont, I said as I sat back down on the couch. Tell me where Im going to find an educated savvy Bengali guy whos as refined as Sam is?

Mr Right doesnt have to be Bengali

For me he does. I know you dont get it, but its important for me to build a life with a shared culture. I put my hand over hers and she looked away,
knowing what I was going to say. I love him, Mia.

You know hes a player

whos changing his ways. For starters, he stopped clubbing.

Hes a bad boy and youre a good girl. You will get burnt.

Hes changed, Mia, hes going to do the right thing tonight. I shook her hand until she looked at me.

You better text me later and tell me that hes proposed.

I promise, I said with a wide smile. So tell me, do I look gorgeous enough to be proposed to?

Mia laughed as I struck a pose. Gorgeous enough for Zachary Khan to hit on you.

At the mention of his name, I froze. Oh my God, I got to get his prospect brief ready for seven p.m.

Tonight? I nodded at Mias question. Whos the prospect?

I opened up the pitch document and read from the summary page.

Arun Jayachand, youngest brother of the Indian Jayachand family. He has a personal fortune of eight hundred and ninety million made from distribution,
precious jewels and retail. Mia whistled at the opportunity. Zach wants personal information, investment trends, portfolio breakdown, who were competing
against Im never going to make my dinner. Never. I hate this job. I hate it.

No you dont. You love the adrenalin rush of doing the impossible, and this sounds impossible.

Exactly! How am I going to find information on a private Indian tycoon and
make my dinner? I moaned.

Come on, Cinders, well get you to the ball.

Slowly I looked across the thick folder at Mia and curbed a smile at her offer to help.

You sure?

She nodded with a reluctant grin. Dont get happy. I got two hours free and Im billing them to this project

Fine, but you got two hours, right? I grabbed her hands to pull her to her feet. You are a godsend, Mia. Have I ever told you that?

Mia walked over to the vending machine for another coffee and looked across at me.

Does that mean I get to sit in on the debrief with the gorgeous Zach?

Let it go, Mia! I returned, ignoring her cheeky laughter as I led her back to my desk.

Five hours and fifteen minutes later, I was waiting outside Zach Khans office. Zach was late. I leaned back against his door, tapping my pen against my
notepad whilst avoiding the watching eyes of Ingrid, his faithful PA. I looked at my mobile for the hundredth time hoping that there would be a text from
Samuel telling me that he couldnt wait to see me. The inbox was empty; there were no new messages. I slipped my phone into my pocket and shook my head. Why
dont men get that one text is important to a woman. Just one simple text, ten words, not even that, to make a woman feel beautiful inside. I released a
deep sigh and looked at my watch.

Is he on his way? I asked, looking at the cold indifferent blonde.

If I knew that I wouldve told you. I dropped my smile and looked away from her condescending sneer. I paced before her desk just to annoy her whilst
reciting the key findings in my head.

Youre new to working with Zach. I nodded at her statement. Hes always late. Always. Theres a chair over there. I stopped at the suggestion and looked
over to the empty chair.

Im good, thanks, I refused, curbing a smile at her unimpressed sigh. How come youre working late? Ingrids cold look told me she didnt want to engage
in conversation. Hes a hard taskmaster, right? She continued staring at me without a word.

I take it youre talking about me. I spun around and spotted Zach. The PA raised an amused overplucked brow and I wanted to disappear. The meetings been
brought forward and you need to sit in. I froze at his comment, holding the summary findings against me, unprepared to provide a formal briefing to the
heavyweight partners in our New York office. I had enough to brief Zach, but certainly not enough to field questions to the dozen from the powerbrokers. I
looked up with dread as Zach walked out of his office. Im kidding. Come in.

I breathed out in relief and followed him in. His office was plush, filled with state-of-the-art technology and wide flat screens mounted on to every wall
to track his investments.

Grab a seat. I walked up to his desk as he shrugged off his jacket and took off his tie. He was broad, lithe and perfectly formed. Yasmin. I looked up
at him and met his eyes. Do we have any chance of stealing Arun Jayachand from Schwarz Investments?

We do, I replied. He seemed surprised by my confidence. I smiled and handed him my findings. He didnt look at the document but stared at me.

We do, huh? he muttered, forcing himself to look down at the document. What makes you so sure?

First of all, you would never have looked at Arun Jayachand if you didnt believe you could win him for this firm. He raised a brow at my cocky answer.
More importantly, Schwarz Investments have made serious bad investment calls over the last two years which resulted in Arun Jayachands portfolio growth
trailing behind his brothers.

And you know this because?

Because its my job to talk to the our finance guys, and the finance guys tell me that Arun Jayachands accountant has been talking to Black Rock,
Hendersons and Masser Klein.

Zach looked impressed. He worked through my findings, debating key points until we verged on arguing. I had his undivided attention, and that told me that I
was arming him with what he needed.

His Baby O for Oshanti retail arm is really struggling

His daughter, Rania Jayachand, has schoolgirl aspirations of inheriting it as a designer trophy, Zach cut in dismissively. I paused at his impatience and
waited until he acquiesced to allowing me to make my point.

I went on, We have a private equity opportunity there. If we cant win the wealth management option, we could take a stake in Oshanti through our sister
company Namhar Capital. Its a two hundred and fifty million pound lingerie boutique, losing huge market share year on year due to operational
inefficiencies. This is a turnaround teams dream job.

You think you could help turn it around? His amused tone caught my attention.

You think I cant because Im just some analyst who crunches through information all day?

His grin dropped. I didnt say that

Knowledge is power, Zach. We arm you with the power to broker and win deals! I told him with half a smile.

But turnaround jobs are different.

Turnaround jobs are textbook. You buy an ailing company at cost price, fix the leaks, sell off the property assets, dispose of the weakest links and build
up the label as a luxury brand that you sell in thirty-six months at a premium. Why would you think I couldnt be on the turnaround team?

My mistake. The glimmer in his eyes told me that he had been testing me. I held his eyes, read his humour and smiled reluctantly before looking down at my
document.

Yasmin

One sec. If you refer to page ten, youll find a portfolio breakdown for the Jayachand family and Oshantis performance.

Yasmin, its ten to eight and you have a dinner to attend. I froze at Zachs comment and closed my eyes. Ingrids got a cab waiting for you outside.

Thanks, but Im meeting Sam downstairs. I had planned the briefing to last fifteen minutes; it had overrun by half an hour. I gathered my notes together
and pulled out my mobile. There were two messages from Sam, both asking me where I was. I stopped and looked at Zach. Do I need to finish up?

Go. He indicated towards the door.

Thanks, I threw behind me as I rushed to leave, calling Sam at the same time. Hey you, Im sorry Im late

Yasmin. I stopped at Zachs call and turned around to look at him. Youre a good analyst. I smiled at his appreciation.

Who are you with? My smile dropped at Sams demand. I waved at Zach before striding back to my desk. Whereve you been?

Im sorry, my meeting dragged on. Im on my way down

Im freezing my butt off out here, so dont take hours dolling yourself up, OK?

I stopped at his attitude and stared at the phone.

Ive had a long day, so do not tell me youre going to ruin our special dinner by being crabby

Im freezing, gorgeous, and you know I hate having to hang around.

He called me gorgeous, so instantly I melted and felt bad for keeping him waiting in the cold.

Ill be down in two minutes, OK?

Tell me what youre wearing. I smiled slowly at his suggestive question. Itll help me spot you. My smile disappeared at the thought that he still
needed help to recognise me.

Ill see you downstairs, I told him before ending the call.

Shaking my head, I put my documents away and shut down my computer. I decided I would keep him waiting so that there was no way of missing me. I walked
through the nearly empty office, passing by those with imminent deadlines or clients to please. Inside the ladies, I stood beneath the harsh light and
stared at myself. I saw a woman with her hair pulled back into a bun and dressed in a fitted black suit, a pink tailored shirt and high heels. I looked
tired, old and unprepared for the evening with Sam. Closing my eyes, I tried to shrug off Mias words and the feeling that no matter what I did, however
good I tried to make myself look, it would go totally unnoticed by Sam. I paused and whispered a ...