Learning To Fly

Jaime's Bad Manners

I wasn’t expecting to find Sarah down in my living room playing with Archer after I forgot the dinosaur Marshall had bought him and he now couldn’t live without, having gone to retrieve it from my bedroom I was shocked to see her.
Even more so when she smiled sweetly at me “morning" she chirped happily at me, giggling away at Archie like she hasn’t been the biggest pain in my ass the past couple of days.

“Hey what’s up" I figure I’ll play along nicely for now in the vain hope that she’ll come round about my wanting Marshall in Archers life at the very least for the moment.

“I came to invite you and Archie over for dinner tonight?” I say yes quickly before she changes her mind and gets all mad with me again.
“Come over for 6pm, don’t be late” she smiles before seeing herself out of my home, leaving me baffled by the sudden change in her behaviour.

At 6pm sharp I let myself and Archie into my best friends house and in the kitchen I find a laughing Sarah, Jack and a good looking guy that I’ve never met before. “Hey JJ, this is Mark, Mark this is Jaime and her son Archer” she’s giddy with delight as Mark reaches out and shakes my hand warmly, he smiles at me and I realise just how stunning he really is and then it dawns on my why Sarah is being so nice, she’s trying to set me up with this guy.

I wonder briefly if he’s the blind date guy she wanted me to meet. “and this handsome little fella is Archer” she introduces this beautiful strange man to my baby and I find myself suddenly livid with her.
Archie’s grip tightens around my neck and he point blank refuses to look at Mark. I am going to murder her, I plaster on a fake smile and glance over towards Jack, he can’t even make eye contact with me and I’m guessing this has been sprung on this poor guy too.

Archie whispers in my ear “Mamma, want Musty” and I know exactly how he feels, I want Marshall here right now.

“Jack come help me in the kitchen” Sarah demands and off they both go leaving me in this god damned awkward position with somebody I just met. I put Archer down and he waddles off in search of toys leaving me truly alone with Mark who walks closer to me grinning like a Cheshire cat “Sarah said you were beautiful but she totally underplayed how gorgeous you really are” I want to roll my eyes and vomit in my own mouth, he’s making me cringe “Umm thanks” I offer him unable to deal with his cringe worthy compliments.

Where is my short, moody, foul mouthed, petty Rapper right now I think to myself and then I remember technically he’s not mine any more “I like your shirt” I say with an upbeat tone hoping the ground beneath me will open up and swallow me whole any second now. It doesn’t.

I take a seat on the couch trying to put some space between him and I, Mark sits so close to me he’s almost in my lap, he stretches his arms out and one lands on the back of the couch behind me, stroking my exposed shoulder. Clearly Mark has boundary issues and this feels like a well used and practised move from his teenage years.
I sit forward and his arm drops behind me coming to rest on the top of my fucking ass making my entire body clench with horror.

Then as if he knows someone is touching his perceived personal property, my phone rings and an image of Marshall and Archer appears “excuse me I have to get this” leaping up I run out into the hallway “Hey Angel” his voice soothes me immediately “Hey Musty” he swears down the phone at me “I think we’ll try Dad from now on” Marshall tries to assert himself.

“What ya doing?” he asks, I can hear him settling down his end, feet up on his table probably “Would you believe this, Sarah got me over to her place for dinner and is trying to set me up with this guy, it’s so fucking awkward Marshall” the phone goes deadly quiet his end and I realize I might have fucked up, fucked up badly for that matter.

He startles me when he finally speaks “What’s he like?” that was not the line of questioning I expected “I mean he’s a good looking man but he has no idea about personal space” quiet again. “You going to fuck him?” here we go, this is more of what I expected “No I’m not” I sigh loudly.

“He touch you?” his voice is high pitched, “he touched my ass” every time I open my mouth I realize I’m digging this hole a little deeper “mother fucker” he yells in my ear, “go home Jaime, Now!” he commands me and I don’t know if its because I’m pissed off with this whole situation or not but I can’t stop myself talking stupid nonsense back to him “we broke up, you don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t do”

“I swear to God Jaime, go home or I’ll come there and drag you home by your hair. Go home” Marshall if not already there sounds on his way to being as pissed off as I feel but I can’t stop myself and laugh down the phone at him “You fucking Caveman, who the fuck do you think you are, ordering me about” I'm pleased Archer can't hear my potty mouth right now.
Marshall swears very loudly in my ear before growling at me, I’m getting turned on by this back and forth between us and let him know, safe in the knowledge he can do nothing about it.

“You got me all hot and bothered now Baby, lucky Mark is here isn’t it” my tone implies I might use Mark to scratch this itch and Marshall ever the ticking time bomb explodes down the phone at me, I’ve no idea why I’m suddenly feeling brave and getting him all riled up but I’m enjoying it immensely.

“If he lays one more fucking finger on you, I’m ripping his heart out with my bare hand and if you let him I’ll never fucking forgive you” I then laugh again at him, I’m not quite sure why I’m finding this quite so funny but I’d bet any money, his face is bright red with anger, he’s probably on his feet and pacing, pulling at his short hair or gesturing wildly to an empty room.

“Do I need to come there and fuck some manners into you Angel?” his voice is low and menacing, a moan accidently escapes the back of my throat, my body betraying me and he laughs thinking he has the upper hand but I have the last word instead. “I don’t think you’re up to it Marshall” he hangs up on me, leaving me staring at my phone.

Maybe I took that a step too far but he’s actually insane if he thinks I’m letting anyone else touch me. He should know me better than that.

I put my phone in my pocket and march out past a confused looking Mark to the kitchen, ready for a fight with Sarah.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I yell, not caring if the other people in this house can hear me or not.

Sarah turns and looks at me, Jack looks like he’d rather be anywhere else but here right now.

“Trying to find you a decent man, someone better than the fucking lunatic you keep dropping your panties for” she spits out at me.
“I don’t need you to find me a man, I don’t want or need a man in my life Sarah, I’m not you!” I shout and she steps out in front of me “What’s that supposed to mean? “ she asks and I can’t stop myself now. “You’ve never been single, all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never gone a week without having to be in a relationship. You might need a man to hang on to but I don’t”

I’m honest and she knows it, no matter how much Marshall might mean to me, I’d get by without him or anyone else and be just fine, hell I’d been doing it the past two years.

“If it wasn’t for me and Jack saving your miserable ass, you’d have aborted Archie and be fucking homeless somewhere and this is the way you repay our generosity by taking that fucking animal back in your life” I stare at her, I’ve never been a violent person but at this moment in time I’m willing myself to keep my hands by my sides because I really want to hurt her.

I want to launch my body at her and flatten her.

“I’m so sorry guys, I didn’t realise that by you helping me out that it meant I owed you some kind of lifelong unpayable debt. I’m not back with him, I’m trying to have a civil relationship for Archers sake and I’m sorry you can’t understand that.” She doesn't need to know that I would give anything to call him mine again and be his, its none of her concern and I hate the way she speaks about him.
The tone of my voice is annoying sweet “I haven’t had a free ride either, I’ve invested my own money and worked every bit as hard as you two to get this business off of the ground and I’ve no intention of leaving here. But I am leaving your house right now before this goes any further.”

I turn back just as I’m about to head out the door “and don’t ever bring strange men into my child’s life again, its my decision who he meets and who he doesn’t, not yours.”
I walk back out picking up Archer and leaving.

Furious with everybody in my life right now and especially my stupid self. I spend the next few hours at home calling Marshall but he doesn’t answer, figuring finally that he must be really pissed at me.
My earlier bravado long gone, at one am, six hours after I’d spoken to him I finally give up and stomp up my stairs to bed.

I’m woken by a weight pressing me into my mattress and a calloused hand held gently over my mouth. “Surprise bitch” he states before biting the tip of my nose gently.

How the hell did he get in here!

I try to move my hands and touch him but I’m confused and sleepy when I can’t move them until I look up and find my hands bound to the head board of the bed with the belt from my bathrobe.

How has he managed to do this and not wake me up, Archer only has to cough and I’m up and awake.

Then I notice something else as he slowly removes his hand from my mouth “Why are you naked?” I croak out at him, he doesn’t answer just stares down at me. I wriggle against my restrained hands until he bends his head and clamps his lips around my t shirt covered nipple. Holy shit!

“I told you no more sex Marshall” a low rumble of laughter leaves his mouth and the hot breath on my soaking nipple nearly turns my mind inside out.

Archer begins crying and I try to pull my hands free once more "Stop" he tells me firmly before Marshall pulls away from me “Woman, I’m going to sort my baby out and then I’m gonna fuck those manners into you like I promised!” fucking hell this is hot, I’m totally having sex with him.

I watch eagerly as he pulls his sweat pants on and heads out to see to our child leaving me breathless with anticipation.