Kaden House was the most fabulous place I had ever seen. I never thought I would visit that other side of Drazen land in Drazen Central, where only rich people lived. It was a place that promised nothing but epic experiences.
"Can we get inside?" Menzi asked me.
He took my hand and grinned at my astonished face.
"What do you think of this place, Lisa? Your face expresses something amazing," he noticed, making me smile even more, until I fully blushed.
"How can you ask? No one will think otherwise of this place," I responded.
He laughed and asked for the reason. I told him how Sunyview people dreamed of living in Drazen Central.
"Drazen Central is nice, I agree, but we can't compare it to the city beyond the Rainbow Hills," he said.
I looked at him and laughed as happiness swept across my face.
"No way, Menzi! Here, you find every kind of life… everything. I mean, this place is a dream come true. I can even feel the swift breeze caressing my skin," I admired, holding a grip on his hand.
"Oh, Lisa! You're crazy. People say this city is epic, with every entertainment being here, mind you, even immoral acts. Good places exist, but few of them require courage and endurance to live in them," he explained, though I heard nothing. At last, he laughed as he tightened his grip on my hand.
I was still wearing my astonished face, looking at him, when he said, "Now let's get inside."
We went through the gate. As a man on his errands, he stopped when we met a man along the pathway leading to the entrance door. He told me to proceed to the entrance and wait for him there. I obeyed his orders and continued to the entrance door that had three big men who were collecting money as they vetted people before anyone went inside. I stopped at a flowerbed next to the entrance, waiting for him to come. The music from inside the building was kicking my pulse rate high, putting me on another horizon. People coming from inside were evidence that they were enjoying themselves. They were coming in twos as partners, looking drunk and well dressed. When the men at the entrance realized I was standing there for minutes, one of them approached me. He asked whether I was partying outside the building or waiting for someone. I told him I wasn't alone. He then gave me less than ten minutes to leave if the person I was waiting for wouldn't show up.
In no time, Menzi was with me. He had finished his errands, so we were getting inside the building to show me what Kaden House was like since I looked interested. The men at the entrance didn't wait for Menzi to talk to them. They greeted him first in a unique, respectful manner. Questions about Menzi swarmed my mind. It seemed he was a man of the people and a busy man too. Anyway, whatever the questions were, I was going to find the answers by myself. You might think I was crazy about planning to investigate a person I just met for hours—I couldn't control myself towards his charms, so I wanted to know him better.
As we went through a corridor, a far-left door dazzled with different colours of light, and most of the noise came from it. I didn't think my eardrums were going to handle the noise. However, the moment we got inside, I forgot everything. My adrenaline spiked. I found my head already dancing. It was a disco house, reminding me of my twenty-first birthday when I didn't sleep in my room. My friends and I drank a lot and danced until our legs bent. Remembering my twenty-first birthday made me go crazy, so I jumped onto the beat. Menzi was standing, watching me go crazy. He couldn't stop his charming smile, which made me dance even more.
"You're sweet!" I screamed, appreciating him for bringing me to Kaden House.
He mimed that he couldn't hear me over the music. I went closer to him and pulled him into my space. We were supposed to dance, but he seemed uninterested, as if he was shy. I laughed at him, and he pulled me to his steel body. His other hand advanced to my waist. I felt his arm wrapping around me, and he softly squeezed my waist. I sighed, feeling a deep sensation over my body as he continued pressing me more into his body. At that moment, I clasped on his shoulders. He slowly lifted me until our faces were level. I felt his eyebrows brushing my face. My lips didn't wait to loosen up. I kissed him. It was what I was waiting for. He slowly kissed me back, and soon the kiss changed to be more interesting as he started tracing my thighs. I was losing myself to sensation. On the spot, I was fully enjoying myself with him in my fantasy. I only needed walls and a locked door to make up myself with him.
"Menzi Mabuyani!"
A man screamed in our ears and disturbed the moment. It seemed the man called us from a distance, but we didn't hear him because of the noise. Menzi put me down on the floor. They shook hands. Menzi introduced him as Msindo. He also told Msindo my name. Msindo gripped my hands and pulled me closer to him. I looked at Menzi, expecting him to say something to stop Msindo because I didn't like what Msindo was doing in front of him, but he kept quiet. The music stopped, and the disco lights went off. The normal bright incandescent light replaced them. It was then that I realized there were many people at the other end of the building.
"Behold! The night is not yet over, as long as the sun hasn't risen!" A man on the stage announced, and people screamed, agreeing with him.
"Oh, the Joker is also here tonight?" Menzi asked, referring to the man on the stage.
"These days, every night, he keeps this building crowded. Everyone likes his disco music. You know that," Msindo responded.
"I see, so there is a lot of gold turnover behind the scenes," Menzi said, looking at the Joker on the stage.
No wonder why the man was Joker. From his colourful suit, which had bright and clashing colours of purple and orange, worn with white shoes plus a white hat and black spectacles, he was a real Joker. Msindo was still holding my hand, and I was feeling uncomfortable. Before I could pull my hand away from him, Menzi took it. I knew he was going to do that, but it took him longer than what a jealous man would do.
"Oh, boss! Let me borrow your Lisa for a few minutes. I know you want to see how your boys are doing up there," Msindo purred, sending a gentle smile at me. "And Lisa, I saw you dancing. I want you to be my partner. There is an upcoming closing competition before sunrise."
"What's there for Lisa?" Menzi patiently asked.
"Free entrance tomorrow and maybe some money," Msindo responded and laughed.
A sly grin spread across Menzi's face as he smirked. He let go of my hand, reached into his pockets for his phone, and checked it. It was clear he was mocking Msindo. He needed no entrance fee to get inside Kaden House, and if he wanted, it was a free entrance for me too.
"The decision is on Lisa, not on me, Msindo," he responded, going away.
"Menzi, I can't dance with him!" I screamed. I wanted to stay closer to him, as he had warned me to do. When he gave me a choice, I thought it was a test, but it wasn't.
Msindo jumped and came in front of me as the music started. He held my hands and begged me for a dance. I didn't know what to do because he didn't stop begging even when I showed no interest.
"Lisa, I will be up on the next floor if you need anything!" Menzi screamed, waving at the women who were cheering at him. Just like that, he went inside the elevator and its doors between us closed like guillotine.