When Kotatso stripped off his shirt that evening he found the boss’s card in his pocket with the lovely Cynzia’s number in red ink on the back. She wanted to come to a party. Maybe he’d invite her, though that would be playing with fire. What if Sergio found out? He would kill him. But what if he refused her? Would she make trouble for him with Sergio because he rejected her? Was it true that a woman scorned would stop at nothing to get her revenge?

As the days went by and nothing happened Kotatso began to relax. Maybe he had got away with it. Everyone had forgotten the Facebook comment. He even deleted Lindiwe as a Facebook friend. Out of sight, out of mind. She had gone silent; so had Sergio. And there was no word from Cynzia.

So when his friends suggested that he throw another party, he didn’t think twice. He even invited Tankiso. It was time to start reeling her in again, like a pretty little fish. The word was out and Kotatso made sure everybody heard. He would make a killing with his fake designer labels. Sergio would be pleased with him. Kotatso sent the simple catch-phrase out to his customers, on BBM:

The real thing, at a bargain price, twice as nice.

His customers responded, buying tickets to the party and clothes to wear as well. Tankiso said she would be there, wearing her best designer gear. “The real thing, from the mall, not the cheap fakes you sell,” she teased. But Kotatso felt a chill when she said that. He had managed to forget about the woman in the mall who paid Sergio good money for fake goods.

The night of the party Kotatso was again the boss. He was King in the DJ booth. The dance floor was heaving, as the girls swung their hips and shook their booties, and the guys posed in their designer labels. Everything was rocking – until Kotatso saw somebody he wasn’t expecting make her way onto the dance floor. He spilled his drink and for a moment there was a glitch with the music, as he bumped the decks. The sound was ruined for a split second. Everyone on the dance floor looked up at him: so uncool!

It was her; there was no mistake. Cynzia was wearing a bright red dress that rode up her thighs until it just covered her buttocks. The neckline plunged and her fake boobs were pushed up. She waved at him and blew him a kiss. And then as he recovered and got the music going again she walked across the floor towards him. He searched the room for Sergio, but couldn’t see him anywhere. There was Tankiso, moving and shaking, too close to Cynzia for comfort.

Then Cynzia was in the DJ booth with him. She came straight across and pressed her fake boobs down into his face and she sat on his lap. He panicked for a moment – she was too close and his friends were watching. But… it was dark in the back of the booth, so maybe they were not watching any longer…and Tankiso would never make her out in the flashing strobe lights. Cynzia was all over him. So when she began to kiss him he didn’t resist.

Suddenly there was the flash of a camera close by, bringing him back to reality. He pushed Cynzia away.

“Do you want me to die? Sergio will never forgive me if he finds out about this; it will be the end of me. What are you doing?”

“Come on,” said Cynzia, laughing. “I know you want me.”

“I also want Sergio’s Ferrari, but it’s not mine,” he said quickly. “Please, leave me.”

Cynzia winked. It was unexpected. He had thought she would shout at him and cause a scene. As she left the club Kotatso strained his eyes to see who had taken the photograph. But all he saw was a full dance floor of people – there were flashes everywhere from people taking pics of each other on their phones. There was no way he could find out who had taken a shot of him and Cynzia. But he knew one thing: trouble was coming.

***

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