WhisperLines Ch. 01: Hired to Arouse

This series is a quiet look into women's fantasies--the kind that don't come out in loud words, but in sighs, silence, and secrets.

You don't have to start with first chapter. Each chapter-except this introductory one -is a standalone story, inspired by a different facet of being a woman.

These stories aren't meant to shock. They unfold slowly. They're about the kind of desire that lives in the mind, in memory, in the places we don't always speak from

This introductory chapter is general one but henceforth each chapter will revolve around one aspect of female sensuality.

And if you carry a fantasy--an experience, a tension, or an ache--you've never dared to share... I invite you to write to me. Based on your experience or fantasy, my next episode may be carrying you in conversation with Sumit.

Hire To Arouse Her, Trained To Listen

The glass wall of Lower Parel business tower was scorched by the afternoon sun.

Sumit Verma, a mild mannered content writer sat on the edge of conference table.

Across the table in the conference room, a subtle scent of coffee, citrus perfume, and something darker lingered.

He had been invited to meet the director of WhisperLine. He only learned about WhisperLine--an intimacy app intended for male users--from a few half-understood Google searches before stepping in.

It was a lonely man's app.

Men willingly pay by minutes to speak anonymously to the females on their panel- sharing their fantasies, boosting their ego, confessing, or saying the kind of filthy things which they didn't dare to anyone else.

Now he was sitting with Sonali Bedi.

Late thirties, intelligent, sharp the director of WhisperLine, she was wife of MD.

Sumit was wondering why he had been summoned here.

Sonali wore a beige blazer over an ivory silk shirt. She chose slim pants that hugged her hips just enough to give the outfit a purposeful look.

"So... He cleared his throat and forced a smile, "I thought you called me to write some blogs for your app's PR." covering a glimmer of discomfort with charm.

More amused than polite, Sonali's lips curled. With practiced grace, she uncrossed her legs and then slowly recrossed them, saying, "That was the original idea."

He caught the tiniest glimpse of her skin beneath her silk blouse as it shifted slightly. "However, I read your old blogs, particularly the one about 'Unspoken Female Fantasies in Urban India.'"

Sumit paused her smile.

It had been a risky article. Intimate and very bold. The type of article he had penned late at night while his wife, Riya, and his son, Krish, age eight, were slept in next room. He never really thought anyone would read it seriously.

Riya, his wife was..... warm., homely, the type of lady who carefully folded his clothing, made sure dinner was ready on time, and dozed off while watching YouTube devotional bhajans or cookery demonstrations. The type that would light a tiny diya each night.

Sonali's voice faltered.

"Most men... write about what they want from women." She said slowly.

"But you, Sumit." She curved her lips slowly, understanding. "Without ever touching them, you unzipped what women secretly desire, layer by layer."

Sumit blinked, not knowing if he should blush or laugh. There was a low, deep, tight shift in his gut.

Her voice became soft as she whispered, "Our app is not some desperate dating app. This is something much more advanced." Her fingertips followed the edge of the table in languid, undetectable patterns.

"Lonely men," she said, her voice trailing off, "In order to talk with one of our female conversationalists, they are so willing to pay by the minute."

Her eyes ascended--slowly, deliberately, catching his breath in the middle.

"And these women, Sumit, they're trained."

A pause to allow the word to sink in.

"They play the roles- confessor, listener, mood reader and ego smoother.

"They never touch them. They don't have to. It's simply words--slow, seductive, and deliberate, but the guys still finish. Sometimes with a gasp, and other times with a cry."

She took a moment to think it over.

"They adjust each call to the man's wants, whether it be it's praise, approval, or pure unfiltered fantasy."

Her tone was soft as she remarked, "We've partnered with a Singapore-based tech firm maintaining highest level of privacy and complete authority over what is traceable and what remains hidden."

She ran her fingertips around the edge of her coffee cup, leisurely, preoccupied, as if she were caressing something softer.

"No names. No mobile number, No data that can be traced. Not for us, not for the caller. Nobody in the company could trace the footprints even if they wanted to."

"You would like me to write about this in blog then?"

Sonali smiled slowly.

this time. It was as if she liked seeing him uncomfortable.

"No," she uttered quietly, allowing the word to cling to the air like a fragrance.

"I would like you to work for us." His heart beat too quickly. He blinked.

"Work--how precisely?" Sonali's gaze remained fixed on his. She spoke in a quieter, softer tone now. as though she were inviting him to a place he shouldn't go.

And the following stage... Sonali tapped the notepad with her pen. "We are planning to launch a female version of this app."

Sumit frowned" You mean females will pay to talk with your trained men?"

She nodded immediately.

"And for that we actually need .... is team of trained men who know how to make women... feel the way our female team makes men feel," she continued, allowing each word to fall slowly and deliberately.

She let the silence to linger.

"Tease, listen, seduce, make them feel seen, wanted, and desired without going crossing the line they set."

Sumit laughed briefly and incredulously, rubbing his fingers through his hair.

"Are you serious?"

"Very much " Sonali relaxed her stance, leaning back.

"Do you honestly believe that Indian females will ever use an app like this? His voice trailed off as he asked. "And... really let a stranger to open up"

Sonali grinned as if she had been anticipating that particular query.

With her legs properly crossed, she remarked, "It's already happening abroad."

"Women in US, Uk and even Japan have access to voice-based intimacy platforms.

However, the market remains untapped here in India. Not because women don't have these needs, but rather because no one provides them in a way that is trusted and safe."

Her voice changed more business like. She dragged her finger slowly over the edge of the table once more, this time tracing a circle, absentmindedly.

"To this even my own husband Arav, get it wrong."

The majority of guys like you don't understand the sexuality of women. You believe that women are too shy, too innocent for such a thing."

She stopped, allowing her words to slowly permeate her skin.

"In reality, women are just as curious, just as hungry, just as in desire, wild."

She let the silence settle.

"The only difference", She tilted her head, allowing one hair to fall loose close to her cheek. "All they need is safety, privacy, and the right words, whispered at the right moment."

"And the limits?" He asked, trying to sound indifferent.

Sonali's smile faded as she got back to work.

"Non-negotiable."

She pulled a printed document from her leather folder and slid it across the table in his direction. In bold type at the top:

'Code of Conduct for Male Companions -- Experimental Phase'

"No personal information, No real names, No phone numbers., No WhatsApp, No social media, No follow up after app. Regardless of how sexy, how breathless, or how intimate the call becomes, You remain true to yourself. Don't go overboard."

Sumit glanced over it, curious and a little afraid. "It sounds like walking a tightrope."

"Exactly."

"Because we will be forced to shut our company if there is any silly mistake, even accidentally. We cannot afford a mess up with Indian laws, media, or moral policing."

Despite the matter-of-fact tone of her statement, there was still a sparkle of challenge in her eyes.

He let out a deep exhale. "So... Who will call-Housewives, Working ladies?"

Sonali gave a shrug.

"Anyone," she said. "Working ladies, bored housewives, even who's happily married ones but curious to experiment."

"Even the most loyal wives.... after those long, restless evenings... when the house falls quiet... their husband in half-drunk on cricket highlights... or just... too lazy to touch them,"

Her voice lowered and her smile deepened, becoming much less courteous: "They then slide their hand beneath the bedsheet. Shut their eyes. They allow the voice of a stranger to do what their husband is unwilling to do."

She paused, letting the words land.

"Some... just want to... confess," she whispered, dragging the phrase across her skin like silk. Her grin widened.

"Some desire slow aching romance that hums softly in their bodies long after the call is over and their husbands are still snoring, utterly unaware."

"And believe me, they won't be reaching for water at the end of call to cool them off."

He let out a little, dry laugh.

"You mean, you leave them feeling guilty and emotionally unstable?"

Leaning forward, Sonali reduced her voice to a near whisper. Her eyes were like a razor honing before the cut.

"Sumit, that's the thing about women."

Her eyes sunk, lingered.

"It is not just their mind that gets wet..... when the right words... slide in deep enough."

Sonali rose up and casually reached for her bag.

"It will be free for female users for the first month," she remarked, straightening her jacket and returning to her formal, businesslike voice.

"Let them first experience it free of cost, taste it, and become accustomed to what it's like to be wanted and heard. However, after they are hooked... ", She smiled at him again, slowly and knowingly. "They'll willingly pay. Believe me, they will."

Sumit let out a breath, still unable to pinpoint the precise location of his heartbeat.

Her voice trailed off--like a secret message tucked away behind a locked door. "

Intimacy, they refuse to share with their spouse, friends, or even their therapist" She paused for a moment. "If you move rightly, they will be willing to share with you."

Sumit sat there. Still... he couldn't tell if he was more aroused or uneasy.

His phone buzzed somewhere in his pocket--it was Riya's WhatsApp.

"On the way back, pick up Krish's drawing book. Don't forget ????"

As she approached, she lowered her voice and whispered, "Oh... and one last thing."

"Some men make women wet with tears."

Her gaze met his.

"Some with laughing."

Her breath was close enough to brush his cheek as she leaned forward.

"But you, Sumit," she said in a warm, cunning whisper,

"You'll have to have an aim, a little less below than both."

He was momentarily unsure of whether it was a warning or the most seductive compliment he had ever received.

"Duly noted," he remarked in a low, unintentionally harsh voice.

He was not sure where precisely she wants him to hit.