If it was the doodhwala come to collect his payment a day early, she was going to kill him, she thought savagely. Wasnt a body entitled to a sleep-in on their birthday?

A young boy was standing on the doorstep grinning widely.

"For you, madam," he said, carrying two flower arrangements.

He seemed to think it a matter of congratulations that she had rated not one, but two, and his joy at bringing these excellent tidings was palpable. She sighed, no she really couldn't send him away with a flea in his ear. Instead she handed over a generous tip.

Both were orchid arrangements, that sensuous, elegant flower she loved. These could only have come from two men. Even the flowers they contained revealed something about the personalities of the senders. One had the most vivid selection of orange & yellow orchids, the colours clashing together in a harmony of exuberance and joy, while the orchids in the second arrangement were a pure stately white.

She pulled out the cards, laughed out loud at the first which had a sappy love poem and was signed flamboyantly - Akash, while the other one said simply 'Have a nice day, R'. Rajan, Rajan, she thought, mentally shaking her head at him. Private & reserved as usual.

After arranging them in the living room to her satisfaction, she wondered about the rest of the day. On a sudden impulse, she called the magazine and took the day off. When was the last time she'd treated herself on a birthday? She had a dinner date with Akash, but now was for her alone. Akash's gift this year was a package at the exclusive Kavya salon. She would go today, get pampered, get her hair done, so she would be glowing in the evening.

Thinking of Akash, in her eyes, he was perfect - intelligent, thoughtful, kind, generous, loving. She and Rajan had a standing date on their birthdays, this changed slightly after the divorce. When Akash found out he had been swift to continue the tradition. Rajan wasnt backward these days, but he wasnt in the city and she loved Akash for wanting to make it special for her. She wondered if she would tell him, Rajan had been giving out some very direct hints about getting back together and she kept putting the decision off.

Who would have thought at the time of their divorce that they would ever be at this point now? It had been particularly acrimonious, two strong controlling personalities determined to hurt the other person worse, but their little boy had been the saving grace. Both loved him dearly and their determination to shield him had caused them to bond again and they had grown into a very easy-going and honest friendship. They could talk to each other about anything under the sun, from career decisions, monetary matters, to discussing their various relationships.

Truth to tell, they were now even better friends since the divorce and this was one of the reasons why the decision was so difficult. Did she want to lose such a hard-earned friend? She hadnt married all these years, hadnt even came close.

But, this was Rajan, she had carried a torch for him over the years, they'd been through a trial by fire together .... and that their son was so well-balanced was proof of how well they did together. Her boy was perfect allright, she thought fiercely, wiping away the easy tears surreptitiously. The girl, Sarita, massaging her gave her a startled look, but she closed her eyes and allowed the repetitive massaging soothe her back into happy somnolence.

Driving home, she thought ruefully that Sarita must have had magic hands and had bewitched her. What else could explain the nail polish colour she currently sported, Purple Passion??? She gazed at her feet aghast anew, ever since the divorce she had been a Bashful Brown or a Pretty in Pink. Akash wouldnt notice, but Rajan would, he always noticed everything about her. Was her subconscious sending her signals ? She would think about it later, HAD to think about it later, for now she would concentrate on a pleasant evening.

She selected a deep purple, crushed silk saree with golden undertones to the rich colour, tinted her lips with a matching shade, delicately applied mascara and was just slipping her feet into a pair of particularly frivolous sandals when she heard the door open. Akash bounded up the stairs, handsome in a charcoal-gray suit with the special smile he reserved for her and enveloped her in a bear hug.

"Happy birthday, gorgeous!," he said, his eyes twinkling warmly as he bent to kiss her.

She laughed, delighted "So, where are we going?" as he ushered her out of the house.

"The Blue Dahlia. I know how you love sushi, Ma!"

That smell again! Shruti closed her eyes for a minute, allowed herself a deep breath and just as the sensual base notes worked thier way insinuatingly along her nasal passages, she jumped up in her cubicle. Row after row of similar looking cubicles met her frantically searching eyes, distinctly devoid of a new presence to indicate the sudden chemical shift in the air.

Groan, not again! It's owner had mysteriously vanished into the office ether, from whence he seemed to emerge intermittently, to torture her. Just to be sure, she stepped into the adjoining cubes of Ramesh and Rajesh, the RR twins she called them, and sniffed cautiously. Ramesh ignored her, Rajesh cast her a harassed glance and went back to his phone conversation.

No doubt, they thought she'd lost it completely, as had most of the team members in the days leading up to the deadline. As she last lingering hints of the frangrance dissipated, Shruti pondered her particular sensitivity to this smell. Amber, definitely, one of her favorite components in a perfume, the main selling points were that it smelled fresh, not overpowering and defintely sensual ..... or maybe it was just a state of hypertension induced as a side-effect of looming deadlines and caffeinating herself with the nasty, saccharine-sweet vending machine coffee. She frowned down at her desk, had it really been 5 cups ... and it was only 12 pm. She trashed the vile viscous-brown-sludge-filled cup and turned with a sigh back to the cursor blinking demandingly on her laptop ...
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... big, hairy, well-shaped hands", ended Renuka on a triumphant note, as she dipped the fluffy, soft idly into the steaming sambhar on her lunch plate, and raised the spoon daintily to her lips. "They've got to be well-manicured, though! And now to wipe that smirk from your silly faces, let's hear from you. Ms. Shruti, what turns you on ??"

Neela grinning smugly at the temporary reprieve, raised a questioning brow at Shruti."You know, I have been thinking lately of the power of smell ...".

"Who figured you for a closet gym-bag-sniffer", chortled Renu. "Dont be disgusting", interrupted Neela, excitedly, "I know just what she means. Smell is not high up there for me, but the raw scent of musk intermingled with sweat after a game of tennis ... mmmm ... masculine..."

"Ugh, musk!! I've been smelling this perfume the last couple of days, it's mild, yet intense, modern and fresh, just what I imagine the perfect man would smell like. The topnote combination of ginger pepper cocktail, raindrop accord and chilled sudachi exudes the promise of elegance, of a man who can be ultra-passionate, then, when the heart notes of black basil, cedar leaf and hydroponic sage take over, the hint of freshness indicates an exuberance for life a sense that at the right moments in life he can be humorous, organised or romantic and by the time the base notes of creamy suede, addictive patchouli, brazilian redwood and solid amber invade your senses, you realise euphorically you can be intensely attracted to this man."

"So, did you list this perfect man to Vishal, before or after you got engaged?", asked Renu, dryly.
"Of course, not", cried Shruti, "I'd probably hate it if he turned out to be this perfect human being, but dont you just love it when a man smells so wonderful, like he belongs and is in control of his surroundings. It's easy to close your eyes, let your olfactory senses be pleasurably tingled by the perfect combination of spiciness and tanginess on skin ...."

"... and whose skin would that be?? I didnt hear Vishal's name anywhere did I??", spluttered Neela.

Shruti eyed her guffawing companions with extreme disfavour. "Allrrrr-ight!!! Neela it's your turn now, musky, sweaty men is it??? ..."
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".... and in conclusion I would like to thank everyone whose hard work and dedication has made this project a huge success. Now, it's time to let down your hair and have fun. All drinks are on me tonight!"

Shruti, looked around at her laughing teammates as the applause after the CEO's speech died down. They had all been so busy lately working round the clock, it was time to return to the normal 8-hour a day shift though her sense of heightened unreality still persisted. It would probably take her a few days to return back to normal. The rest of the team, seemed intent on settling down to some serious partying. An RR twin, appeared at her elbow, "Hey Shruts, am off to the bar, kya peeyogi?" "A lime martini, no wait", she cried, "I see Neela at the bar, I need to talk to her, I'll get it myself ... thanks!"

As she walked towards the bar, idly wondering when Vishal would arrive, she suddenly caught a whiff of the elusive citrusy smell she had been obsessing about for days. Whirling around in excitement, she finally spotted him. He had his back to her, all she could see were a well-shaped head and a medium-sized frame clothed in a slate-gray pinstriped business suit.Her heart thumping a tad erratically, she headed in his direction. He nodded to her pleasantly and made way for her at the bar.

"Hi, I'm Shruti", she said. "Nikhil, I've just joined the HR division here. Actually, it's really nice to meet you, you've been pointed out to me as the petite powerhouse of the banking division", he continued, smiling "I've just been getting to know people the whole of the last week, I didnt want to come over to your side of the office and disturb anyone there, you all looked so busy".

"Nikhil, before you continue, could I ask you something personal", stammered Shruti. She noticed a wary look creep into the eyes of the man in front of her. He was probably conjuring up an imaginary girlfriend this very minute. Oh well, nothing lost, nothing gained. She took a deep breath and continued, "Could you .... please ..... tell me which perfume you use?"

Euphoria Men, the new fragrance from Calvin Klein, an addictive oriental with an intruiguing freshness and modern sensuality.