Busi refused the cocaine. For a moment she thought that Nomsa was going to accept and participate. Nomsa hesitated, but finally said confidently, “No thanks. I don’t do that stuff.”

“Suit yourselves,” said the two cousins, and they bent their heads over the shiny mirror, quickly snorting up a line of white powder each.

The two guys sniffed again, and then packed away the drug paraphernalia.

“Come on then,” said Mondli, looking back at the two girls and grinning broadly. “Let’s party!”

Themba put his arm around Busi, and Mondli grabbed hold of Nomsa’s hand as they walked rapidly towards the lifts.

As the lift doors opened Busi blinked her eyes. She was dazzled by the mirrored foyer that she stepped into. Loud music was pumping up the plush passage towards them. Busi felt her heels sinking deep into the thick carpets.

Themba’s arm was holding her tight, his fingers curling around her shoulder. Out of the corner of Busi’s eye she glimpsed the large square diamond on his little finger winking at her. She shifted beneath Themba’s strong arm, but he only held her tighter.

“Howzit guys.”

The voice belonged to a very tall, well-built man with closely-cut hair. He wore a shiny, dark blue suit, and was standing in the entrance. The fingers of one hand fiddled with the large gold cuff links on his other wrist.

“Hiya Sergei,” said Mondli, releasing Nomsa for a minute to shake his hand a couple of times.

“Nice girls. Nice girls,” said Sergei, looking the girls up and down, and nodding his head. Busi smiled nervously, while he said more words, in a language she did not understand, to the man standing next to him. He caught her eye, and held it for a long moment.

“Welcome! Welcome!” he said in thickly-accented English. “Come this way.”

Busi and Nomsa watched as Mondli took out the gold credit card that they had already seen him use once before that night. He swiped it through the machine offered to him.

Themba hardly gave Mondli, or the R10 000 credit bill that appeared on a small screen, a second glance. He placed his arms around the girls’ shoulders, and ushered them inside. He swept them along, through a crowd of extremely well-dressed people, to a table in the corner.

Mondli joined them, followed closely by a waitress carrying a tray laden with Moet & Chandon champagne, and four long-stemmed glasses.

Busi was startled by the loud pop of the cork, as Mondli pushed it out of the champagne bottle. She watched, entranced, as Mondli poured the golden, liquid bubbles into the glasses, and they frothed over.

Mondli handed each girl a glass, and held his high.

“Cheers!” he said, reaching out to clink each of their glasses. “Here’s to you both, you beautiful girls!”

Nomsa drank deeply from her glass, and Busi raised her glass to follow. The bubbles got up Busi’s nose, and she spluttered as she took a tentative sip.

A moment later Themba swept Busi onto the dance floor. “Now I want to watch you dance,” he said into her ear as he did so.

They were playing one of Busi’s favourite songs. She began to relax. She glanced around her. The club was busy, but not as busy as the Hot Spot Night Club had been.

Busi closed her eyes, and began to move. She felt the music beginning to pulse through her. Everything is going to be all right, she thought to herself. I’m just going to have a good time.

She opened her eyes for a second as she felt Themba’s eyes on her. He was watching her very closely, and she wasn’t sure what the look was, that she saw there in his eyes. Busi closed hers again, and allowed herself to become lost in the music.

She was just really beginning to enjoy herself, when she felt Themba’s body move very close to her. She opened her eyes, and smiled at him. He smiled back, slipping his hands around her waist. He began to move with her, moving his body closer and closer to her, until she could feel him rubbing against her. His arms were around her, and Busi could feel his tight T-shirt against her thin dress. His hands were running all over her.

One minute she could feel his hands moving up her thighs, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of her skirt, and the next moment she could feel his hands running over the tight bodice of her dress, pausing for a lingering moment to cup her breasts in his palms.

Busi could not keep up with him. As quickly as she tried to get to his hand, and remove it back to a more comfortable place, like her waist, or her arm, the more Themba was always one move ahead of her.

Squirming, Busi tried to push herself away from him, but he was standing too close, and his arms were too strong.

Busi no longer heard the music. Her eyes were fully open now, and she found herself pushed up against Themba’s tight six pack, with his hands firmly on her bum!

“Themba,” she said, trying her best to sound firm. “I’m hot. I’m tired… and… I want to sit down for a bit.” Her eyes scanned the dance floor. Nomsa and Mondli were nowhere to be seen.

“Themba!” Busi said, more firmly this time, managing to place her palms against his chest and beginning to push. “Let me go!”

But Themba only pulled her closer.

Busi could smell Themba very strongly now, and a moment later she could taste him too, as his mouth found her mouth and he ground his lips into hers.

Busi felt Themba’s dazzling white teeth cut into her lips, as sharply as if they were diamonds. She yelped and pulled her head away. She could taste blood.

“Hey little girl,” said Themba, his hot breath hissing into her ear. “What’s the matter? Let’s have a little fun. Little girls like to have fun…don’t they?”

Busi felt Themba’s grip tighten around her. He began to propel her off the dance floor, towards one of the dimly-lit exits at the back of the club.

“Nomsa…” Busi called out, but the sound of her voice was lost in the heavy, reverberating beat of the music. Busi turned her head to try and find her friend, but Nomsa was still nowhere to be seen.

Busi wriggled under Themba’s firm arm, as he moved with her across the floor. She wanted to scream, but her voice died in her throat. Around her, everyone was wrapped around someone else. They were lost in each other, and the music.

Busi felt completely invisible. Her heart was beating like a drum, and her head was spinning.

Then, suddenly, the music came to a grinding halt. It screeched and died, with a high-pitched squeal that sounded like cloth being ripped.

To Busi it felt like the world suddenly juddered, and then stood quite still.

Surprised, Themba released his hold on Busi for a moment. Busi didn’t hesitate. She gave Themba one final push, and then she slid away from him, her high heels slipping on the dance floor as she ran.

Someone had stopped the music.

Busi didn’t care, or understand. She had only one thought – and that was to head for the entrance.

***

Tell us what you think: What was about to happen to Busi?