Chapter 2 - Used By A Master In A Hotel

Have you ever given yourself up to a total stranger?

The spring sunlight of Johannesburg feels obnoxiously cheerful for the disaster that passes for my life. Sandton's typically busy, the jacarandas along the pavement are only just starting to think about it, and I'm strolling at my usual leisurely pace, which is the pace most people would call jogging. I'm not late, though. In fact, I plan to reach the coffee shop five minutes ahead of time. Early arrival = tactical advantage. See them before they see you.

The brisk walk is a tonic after the utterly miserable week I've had. I didn't get the promotion I thought I was a sure thing for, so I'm still working my low-tier management role in Human Resources. And on top of that, I lost my boyfriend. Although, in fairness, getting rid of Mlungisi was a silver lining, even if it's nowhere near the increase I was banking on. I wouldn't say three and a half thousand a month for a room in Melville is expensive, but I'm pretty sure I could buy a small game farm for substantially less than it costs me to live in that dump. And that's before the money that goes home at the end of every month, which has never been optional and never will be.

Nobody knows I'm here, of course. Not that I make a point of keeping secrets from my housemates. But what would I say. "Some guy I met online persuaded me to perform sexual tricks and now I'm meeting him for coffee?"