PULL MY HEARTSTRINGS (COMPLETE)

3

This was madness!
     
He stepped in the shower and turned on the cold water, grimacing at the sight of his erection. He couldn’t get her out of his mind, her scent, her voice, the softness of her breasts and that exhilarating feeling when he held her hand, it all consumed his thoughts and he shuddered at the thought of finding solace between her thighs. She had his brain infected like a virus and nothing else mattered but her, not the Rwandan Reservoir, Tinashe or anything else for that matter.
     
As a practical man he didn’t believe in fate or coincidences so that was out of the question nothing happened out of sheer luck, but he felt meeting her meant something. He couldn’t explain it but it just felt right, like a missing piece finally fell into place and suddenly the world made sense again.
     
Love at first sight.
     
“No. No” He shook his head, silencing the voice in his head. Love was a myth, he learned that the day Jessica left him.  
     
This wasn’t good. He couldn’t afford any distractions especially one that involved his penis; this deal was far too important for him to mess up. But his body had other ideas, defying logic and sending him down a road paved with lust. He needed to get hold of this outrageous yearning because he wasn’t a hormonal teenager easily tempted by women.
     
He turned off the cold water and wrapped a towel around his waist, it did nothing much to help with his problem but staying here and daydreaming about his mystery woman wasn’t any better. He dropped the towel when he got to the bedroom and sauntered towards the window naked, as the curtains moved to the gentle sway of the evening breeze.
     
It was a beautiful evening with the setting sun, casting a long shadow over Table Mountain. Given its central location there were no signs of the hustle and bustle of the city and that made it an appealing destination, and one of his favourite hotels in the world.
     
He chose his slim fit black shirt and a pair of matching trousers and jacket for dinner in the Ballroom, and decided against wearing a tie after he buttoned up his shirt. He examined his attire, securely fastening his leather belt. The shirt emphasized his toned physique he was a man who took pride in looking good, which is why he had hired the best trainer in Johannesburg. His workout regimen was not for the faint hearted and looking in the mirror now he was impressed with the results and hoped to find a companion for the night.
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It didn’t take much convincing from Lwazi to change Kamo’s mind about the wedding, he said all the right things and touched her in places that made her call out his name, which led to some desperate love making to claim her back.
     
An hour after their tea lunch and Lwazi’s promises Kamo called Kgomotso, letting her know the wedding was still on. Kgomotso wasn’t surprised by her sister’s announcement because she knew her stunts well enough not to take her serious when she called it off in the first place. Kamo suffered from what-will-people-say syndrome and so did their mother, baby mama or not she was walking down that aisle tomorrow to save face.
     
Kgomotso slipped into her long-sleeved burgundy dress, it wasn’t glamorous by any standards but formal enough for the black tie themed dinner. It defined her waist and accentuated her voluptuous curves. The low-cut design flaunted her tempting cleavage, it was a wonder what a good bra could do. She tied her weave into a ponytail, exposing the butterfly tattoo just below her neck, it represented her metamorphosis after her break up with Xola. A quick glance at her watch alerted Kgomotso she was running late for dinner.
     
“Dumelang,” Kgomotso greeted as soon as she entered the elevator, she recognized one of the two women as Lwazi’s aunt, who had the elevator smelling like vanilla and the fragrance stifled the enclosed space once the doors closed. 
     
“Yebo.” They chorused.
     
“Did you hear that our new makoti had called off the wedding?” The aunt stated in her boisterous voice, which was competing with her equally loud perfume.
     
How did she find out? Kgomotso knew this incident was going on their lengthy list of reasons why Kamo wasn’t the one. Lwazi’s family was shady since the day they came to pay mahadi and the fact that he popped the question after 6 months didn’t help the situation. Words like witchcraft and muthi were thrown carelessly when they thought no one was listening. Kamo was brave marrying into a family that showed their hostility so openly.      
     
“Haibo! After all the money our nephew spent for this wedding.” exclaimed her friend in a tight dress, moving her hands in exaggerated gestures. “What happened?”
     
“She found out Lwazi is having a baby with another woman.”
     
“Nxa! She hasn’t even been married for three months but she’s prepared to run at the first sign of trouble. These modern girls know nothing about marriage.” said Miss Tight Dress.
     
The aunt nodded in agreement. “I knew from the moment I saw her that she didn’t have what it takes to be a Zulu wife. Lwazi will have to take the mother of his child as his second wife.”
     
“Yes, I agree, that would be the best thing to do.”
    
What?! Kgomotso almost laughed at how ridiculous they sounded, her sister would scorch the earth for the sole purpose of killing Lwazi if he even entertained that nonsense.
     
The elevator reached the first floor on a soft ping and she hurried out as soon as the doors opened, eager to get away from them before she said something she wouldn’t regret. From the hallway Kgomotso could already hear the lively chatter emanating from the Ballroom.
     
“KG.” Her cautious steps in those towering heels halted at the sound of his voice and her excitement took a nose dive at the sight of her ex.
     
“Xola,” she said in a flat tone.
     
He frowned as he came closer but she quickly stepped back when his breath touched her flushed face.
     
“A little enthusiasm wouldn’t hurt.” He taunted her.
     
“Unfortunately I’m running short of it.”
     
He chuckled, pulling his hands from his pockets. “I see you still have that fiery temper, I loved it because the makeup sex was always the best.” He held her chin, tilting her head up and she caught a glimpse of his wedding ring and she had to admit it stung.
     
What?! She wasn’t going to fall for this ploy. He was obviously full of shit.
     
She slapped his hand away from her chin. “Whatever you’re trying to do won’t work. I’ve moved on, Xola.”
     
“Ja, you’ve even moved to a new place, congratulations by the way.” His pointed stare amplified Kgomotso’s annoyance.
     
Eish, she should’ve blocked him the same day she unfollowed him on all social media platforms, but she felt some slight satisfaction knowing he still went through her profile.
     
“Go to your wife and leave me alone.” She took another step back. “I’ve kept my date waiting long enough.”
     
Seeing him momentarily speechless was worth telling the lie and she didn’t care that it would come to bite her in the ass later.     
     
He held her hand, stopping her departure. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to him?”
     
“No.” She freed her hand from his grip.
     
“Babe, are you still busy on the phone?”
     
He let go of her hand and turned his attention on the tall beauty behind him. She had kind eyes and a smile that lit up a room. There were no introductions needed Kgomotso knew who she was because she’d spent months obsessing over her pictures on Instagram. She wasn’t proud to admit this but she was still reeling from the break up during that time.
     
“No, baby. I was just catching up with an old friend.”
     
Friend?! This man had no shame.
     
He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her lips. Kgomotso didn’t remember him being this affectionate with her and it angered her more than it hurt her because he was putting on a show.
     
“Oh, okay.” She looked at Kgomotso, still blushing from his kiss. “Hi, I’m Nolitha.” She stretched out her hand.
     
“I’m Kgomotso, nice to meet you.” She shook her hand after some hesitation.
     
Nolitha’s smile widened and Kgomotso was puzzled by Nolitha’s friendliness because Kgomotso had always imagined gouging her eyes out if this moment ever came.
     
“How long have you known this one,” Nolitha asked, pointing at Xola.
     
“Ah, baby, what’s with the 21 questions?”
     
Her question made Xola uncomfortable because Kgomotso was unpredictable and with their history there was no telling what she’d say. Nolitha didn’t know about them and he intended to keep it that way.
     
“I’m just curious.”
     
He shot Kgomotso an anxious look and almost pleaded with her not to say anything. 
     
“We met in varsity,” said Kgomotso, ignoring Xola’s hardened features.
     
“Oh, then we definitely need to go out for drinks and gossip.”
     
What would Kgomotso start with first? How Xola was her first. Or maybe the fact that they dated for 8 years before he woke up one morning and told her he was leaving a week before he married Nolitha.
     
“What does she have that I don’t?” Kgomotso blurted out before she could stop herself.
     
And Xola looked at her the same way he did a year ago when she asked the same question, crying and pleading with him to stay. He was unmoved by her tears and declarations of love.
     
“Don’t do this, please, Kgomotso,” he said sternly. 
     
“I have to go.” She walked away as fast as her shoes would allow her to go, tears blinding her. 
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