Читать книгу The Player - Akhona Bota - Страница 5

1

Three months later Hlobo and Sizwe were driving along a rocky dirt road.

“Wow, it’s beautiful here,” Hlobo gasped. “I wish you’d told me we were coming here.” She’d had absolutely no idea that he was bringing her to a game reserve. The road they were on was barely more than a track. They were surrounded by nothing but wilderness.

So far, Hlobo had spotted a lion and an elephant, and she was thrilled at the prospect of seeing many more wild animals.

“Well, that would have spoiled the surprise, wouldn’t it?” Sizwe pointed out. He parked the car outside the magnificent lodge they were going to stay in for the weekend.

At the door they were greeted by the friendly manager. “Welcome to Ekhaya Lodge, your home away from home. I trust you will enjoy your stay here.” She was a big-boned woman in her fifties, wearing a black skirt and colourful top. “Come, I’ll show you to your room.”

The lodge had an authentic African feel to it, though the furnishings were contemporary, creating an exciting eclectic look. As they passed the lounge, Hlobo noticed sculptures and paintings, all inspired by this continent. The area was spacious, with comfortable-looking couches. The couple followed the manager up the mahogany staircase to their room.

“I’ll have your luggage brought up in a few minutes,” said the manager, stopping at their door.

“Thanks. We’ll call if we need anything,” replied Sizwe, taking the key from the lady, who went back downstairs. “Are you ready?” he asked Hlobo. His small, wicked eyes were gleaming with excitement.

She nodded her head and he unlocked the door. They stepped inside.

“No work, no calls. Nothing at all that will distract us while we’re on our getaway,” he declared, closing the door firmly.

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” said Hlobo, admiring the suite.

She was taken off guard when Sizwe came up from be­hind and locked her in his arms. Her back leant tenderly against his chest while her jeans-clad body pressed more and more urgently against his crotch. She did not bother to fight off Sizwe as he showered hot kisses of burning desire on her neck. She closed her eyes, feeling the heat of his mouth. Then she turned to look at him.

“You bad, bad boy,” she said with a smile. “Is that why you brought me here – to seduce me?”

“Yeah, partly anyway,” he replied, and their mouths met in a gently delicious kiss. Although Hlobo had kissed Sizwe before, it still felt as if she was floating when his lips touched hers. Up, up into the air in a bubble of heady happiness.

She tasted and felt his lips against her mouth.They were a fountain of pleasure. Sizwe picked her up and she immediately twined her legs around his strong waist. Her arms curled around his neck.

Their kiss became increasingly passionate. But all good things come to an end. A knock at the door disturbed them.

“That must be our stuff,” she guessed, getting off him.

Sizwe went to answer the door and found a young man there with the luggage. He gave the porter a big tip before closing the door.

“What made you decide to bring me here?” Hlobo asked. She was sitting on the bed, taking off her shoes.

“Babes, we’ve been going steady for more than a month now. Do I need a reason for treating you? I just wanted to be with you,” he responded. “I want to make our time here memorable. Look . . .”

He went through one of the bags and took out an expensive 12.3 megapixel camera. It was the first time Hlo­bo had seen it. Clearly Sizwe had thought of everything.

But somehow she suspected he was hiding something from her. There was something he didn’t want her to find out yet. She knew Sizwe well enough now to see right through him.

She had learnt so much about him during the past three months since they had met. How he had started to play rugby at high school and never looked back since his SA Under-20 debut against New Zealand. For the first time in her life Hlobo enjoyed a conversation about rugby. Perhaps because it was such a huge part of Sizwe’s life. What was more impressive about his accomplishments was that he had managed to achieve all of these successes at just thirty years. He was just two years ahead of Hlobo.

“I’ll go and get us something to eat, okay?” he said, interrupting her thoughts and heading for the door.

Hlobo was left alone to admire the enchanting room. She went to look out through the open window. Her lungs opened up to the natural and uncontaminated air of the surroundings. The atmosphere of this place was something she had been truly needing. She had never been to a game lodge before, because she had not known a place like this could be so calming.

The fresh air almost made her dizzy and she decided to have a bath. The bathroom was dominated by the colour white, with touches of gold, like the mirror frame. The big tub was snowy white, with golden taps.

Hlobo put in some bubble bath and filled the tub with water, and within minutes it was full of foam – the perfect bath. She took off her clothes and relaxed her body in the warm water. If someone had told her a few months ago that she would date a rugby player and spend a weekend with him at a game lodge, she would have laughed.

Sizwe was amazing!

Everything about him conjured up that word: amazing. His personality, his sense of humour, and his amazing body! She must have done something really good to deserve him. No man had ever treated her as he did, as if she was a princess. Her heart glowed and she couldn’t stop smiling. She hadn’t made love with him yet and the thought of how their first time would be filled her tummy with excitement, as if butterflies were fluttering inside her. But she didn’t want to rush things with this hunky rugby player. Everything was turning out to be so good that she did not want to spoil everything by rushing things, despite her curiosity.

If indeed Sizwe was serious about her, they would have to take things slowly, and so far he had been true to their agreement. He had not pressured her to sleep with him. That had been surprising, given the fact that whenever he kissed and touched her, it seemed as if an animal had been unleashed. She could hardly imagine what it would be like when they made love for the first time.

“Hlobo, where are you?” she heard Sizwe calling her.

“Over here, Sizwe. In the bathroom,” she responded.

Moments later, he appeared at the door. For a moment he uttered no word as he looked at her in the bubble bath. His eyes seemed to be doing all the talking. Her cheeks went pink with embarrassment at what she imagined he was thinking.

“I see you’ve made yourself at home already. I brought us some snacks and red wine,” he said, holding up an open bottle of wine and two glasses.

“Please pour me some. I’m dying for a drop,” she said.

He smiled and half-filled the glasses.

“Coming to join me?” she asked, her eyes fixed on him. He gave her a glass of wine and put his down next to the tub.

“You sure?” he asked.

She nodded, enjoying his slight discomfort mixed with obvious eagerness. Hlobo watched him as he stripped off his clothes, exposing his powerful body: his huge chest and broad shoulders, at least triple the size of his waist. His bulging and rock-hard abs clearly belonged to a rugby player.

“I’ll leave these on,” he announced, referring to his tight briefs. Hlobo had almost lost the air in her lungs when she thought he was going to take off the last remaining piece of clothing.

Hlobo eyed his rod, hard and full under the underwear, pushing to get free.

She sighed.

Sizwe stood there: tall, dark and compelling like a majestic horse. His legs were long and rose to strong thighs of rippling muscle. He sank into the bathtub next to her. His legs lightly brushed against her body under the water, causing Hlobo to register a thrilling sensation.

“Have you been to this place before?” she asked, taking a sip from her wine and forcing herself to keep a level head.

“Believe it or not, it’s my first time here,” he replied. “And I’m glad it’s with you.”

She smiled helplessly. His words were like honey, with a sweetness that flowed right into her ears.

“You make me happy, Hlobo. I want you to know that,” he said, looking serious.

She could see his words were from the heart. They made her own heart race.

He searched for her hand under the water and when he found it, he held it up in the air delicately. “You’re beautiful,” he said, beginning to brush Hlobo’s hand against his clean-shaven face.

Her hand felt like a brush of fire and he closed his eyes, continuing to feel it. Sizwe simply let the moment be, just thinking how blessed he was. He had everything a man could possibly want now that this wonderful woman was by his side. Pretty soon he was going to make her his wife.

“I want to get to know you better, Hlobo.”

“I want to get to know you better too,” Hlobo told him, but there was one thing she had not asked him yet. “How do you play with those things on your head, anyway?” she asked him. Her eyes were looking at his dreadlocks. Each plait was thin, dark and long, giving him a clean and neat look. He had a habit of swaying them off his face when they blocked his vision.

“I tie them up. Very tightly,” he added, enjoying the disbelief on her face. “How about you?” he asked and she frowned.

“What about me?”

“Have you ever tried to use contact lenses instead of glasses?”

Honestly, the answer was a flat no. During all her years of wearing glasses she had never once thought of getting lenses. “What’s wrong with my glasses?” she asked defensively.

“I didn’t say there was anything wrong. I just think con­tacts would be much better for you,” he remarked with a smile.

Hlobo rolled her eyes. “Maybe,” she said for the sake of not arguing with him.

Sizwe poured himself more wine and kept quiet. The silence began to expand between them.

“Accountants aren’t into much talking, are they?” he teased her after a while. “What are people like you really good at?” he suddenly asked, challenging her.

But then he started to chuckle, his face breaking into those cute dimples she found so irresistible.

“Accounting, I guess,” she said, shrugging.

“How about this?” he asked.

For a moment she didn’t know what he was talking about, until she felt his foot moving up between her open legs. She jolted up and giggled girlishly as his cheeky foot arrived at her most sensitive area, brushing and feeling its walls with its toes!

“What are you doing?” she laughed, moving his foot aside.

“What? I didn’t do anything,” he denied with a grin.

He slowly moved right up close to her, settling himself between her legs. Hlobo watched him closely as his wet hand cupped her face, dripping water on her. He closed his eyes and gently kissed her. Hlobo’s hand went behind his head, making sure this time his mouth stayed on hers.

He was indeed a good kisser, seeing how her body was responding to him. Her most sensitive and moist area opened up with desire for him to enter her. She got up slightly and eased herself onto his lap, without letting go of his mouth. Her hands were all over his masculine wet body and she could feel his hard maleness underneath his tight briefs since she was sitting on it. His hands were all over her body too, stroking her gently in turn. Hlobo’s tight breasts kept brushing against his chest.

“How about some more wine?” he suddenly asked, breaking away from her and reaching for the bottle of wine.

She nodded her head slowly. Her mouth was dry. She took the glass he had filled and quenched her thirst.

“You’re such a beautiful woman,” he remarked, eyeing her as she drank.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” she returned the compliment.

* * *

When Hlobo woke up the next day, the African sun had already risen outside. The rays coming through the windows almost blinded her.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the light. It seemed someone had already opened the curtains. She guessed it must have been Sizwe, because when she looked next to her, he wasn’t there.

Last night had been most interesting. It had been the first time they slept in the same bed. They had not made love yet, but Hlobo knew the right time was coming. Sleeping close to his incredibly strong and warm body had been very, very tempting. Intense feelings of lust and curiosity had fought inside her like the waves of an ocean.

Hlobo yawned and lazily got out of bed. She grabbed the pink gown hanging over the chair and wrapped it around herself. Just then the door opened. It was Sizwe. When he saw her out of bed, standing there and looking at him, he protested.

“No, no, Hlobo. Go back to bed, my lady,” he ordered. “Breakfast will be served in bed this morning.” He was carrying a tray complete with food, juice and tea.

Since she wasn’t much of a talker, Hlobo simply broke into a smile at this unexpected surprise. She couldn’t possibly argue with him.

“Okay then,” she replied, quickly taking off the gown. She jumped back into bed.

“Here you go.” He put the tray on Hlobo’s lap. Their eyes met and she couldn’t help but kiss him.

“Thank you,” she said.

Sizwe raised his eyebrows, grinning. “For the kiss or the breakfast?”

So that was what the grin was about! Hlobo loved the fact that Sizwe was so free towards her. This man was just too good to be true. Since they had been together, she would often pinch herself to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. But the warmth of his kisses and the innocence of his smile had proven over and over to her that Sizwe wasn’t a dream. He was as tangible as his flesh and blood!

“Both,” she replied to his mocking question. “Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked, seeing him sitting comfortably next to her.

“I already have,” he told her.

The kind of happiness she felt at that moment, seeing how much he genuinely cared about her, could not be bought by any weight of gold in the world. She certainly wouldn’t swop it for anything. Sizwe was the kind of man who only came along once in a woman’s life. Hlobo took a bite of her toast and swallowed it with some hot coffee.

“I’ll go and organise us a game drive,” Sizwe announced, getting up. She nodded her head and watched him stride off. He closed the door behind him, leaving her alone.

Hlobo was left to listen to the birds singing harmoniously outside. Their tune was exactly the same one her heart was also playing. It was wonderful dating a rugby player, the song, soft and calm, said.