Survival Instinct

by Declan Conner

  After the buffet, Bill made his excuses and went for a dance with Gina. Jamie felt like a spare part. Women stopped coming over to the table, which seemed to prove Bill’s popularity, or at least his notoriety. Feeling conspicuous, Jamie decided to wander and found it remarkably easy to chat to the women, many he already knew from his other two nights. Passing a sofa, he thought he recognized a woman sitting down, talking to her friend.

  “Susan, I didn’t expect seeing you here?” said Jamie.

  “JJ, I didn’t know you were a member?” replied Susan.

  “I only joined last week.”

  “Well, well, what a small world. Let me introduce you to Sheila. She was good enough to sign me in tonight as her guest.”

  Jamie sat down to join them, and her friend quickly found the interest of one of the members and went off for a dance. The conversation flowed and Jamie was having a good time.

  “Do you dance, Jamie?”

  “No, but I’ll give it a go,” he said leading Susan to the dance floor.

  “I thought you said you didn’t dance? You could have fooled me,” she said building his confidence.

  Jamie glanced over at Bill who winked back at him. He did a double take as he watched Gina dancing, her grass skirt swaying to the beat and leaving nothing to the imagination. Susan followed his gaze.

  “What’s so interesting over there? You’re supposed to be dancing with me.”

  “It’s Bill, you remember, my friend from the speed dating? That’s Gina his date for the night. I mean look at her. . .she’s half his age.”

  “Bill, oh my god so it is,” she said laughing. “I’ll let you off then. I thought you were more interested in her than me?”

  After a few dances, they left the dance floor and Jamie went to buy drinks. The bar was busy and he was gone for some time. Returning with drinks in hand, who should be surrounding Susan but the creeps Bill referred to as Bob Hope and Jack Benny. Pretending to trip, Jamie spilled his drink on one of them, and he stood up to wipe his trousers down. Jamie slipped into his place next to Susan.

  “Thank god you came back to rescue me,” she said and linked arms.

  Jamie was furious but tried not to show it.

  “Just a moment, I need the bathroom,” said Jamie, as he noticed the two comedians enter the Gents. The two of them stood at the urinal relieving their bladders, as Jamie went into action. He grabbed them both by the scruff of their necks with an iron grip and banged their heads against the tiles. Not enough to cause injury but enough to let them know he meant business.

  “I’m going to tell you two just this once, so listen. If I ever catch you in anything except a comfortable distance between any woman friend I’m with, or my friend Bill, I’ll relieve your necks from the burden of your body. Is that clear?” he said releasing his grip.

  “Yeah sure, buddy, we were only trying to be friendly.” One of them went for some paper towels and wiped down his pants.

  “I have enough friends, so just keep out of my face.”

  Jamie tried his best not to laugh, as one of them was still urinating down his leg and Jamie left them to consider the errors of their way. He stepped out of the restroom to rejoin Susan, just as the two guys in suits entered the toilet. Jamie sat with Susan and laughed.

  “What so amusing?” Susan asked.

  “Nothing, I was just enjoying a joke I shared with the two comedians in the toilet, the ones who were all over you when I went to the bar,” said Jamie. He thought he had lain to rest another of his demons. Just then, the DJ announced the start of the competition.

  “Come on, let’s try our luck,” said Jamie, leading her to the dance floor. They had a blast trying to dance Hawaiian style, but it was a foregone conclusion as Bill and Gina were called up to the DJ to get their bottle of champagne.

  Leaving the dance floor, they sat with Bill and Gina, sharing in their prize. The drinks helped Jamie’s inhibitions melt into the background, as they laughed and joked. Bill signaled him to go to the Men’s room.

  “I need to get this face paint off, JJ. Start pulling me off some hand towels, will ya?” Once his face was clean, Bill broke out into a huge smile. “Christ, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. This dating lark beats prospecting for women. I’m ready for the smooches now.”

  “Yeah, I’m pleased I bumped into Susan... smooches did you say?”

  “Ten minutes to go, let’s get back before the comedians muscle in.”

  “You don’t have to worry about them; I’ve had a quiet word.”

  “Great, I wondered why they were skulking.”

  “You get back to the girls; I’ll be with you shortly.”

  Jamie looked in the mirror.

  “What do you do now Jamie Jameson?” he said, staring at his reflection and hoping it would give him the answer. Smooches? What am I doing? I’ve just made the first step with Mary, and here I am about to cheat on her before we even get going. Returning to Susan, she seemed to sense his apprehension.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s troubling you?” she whispered in his ear.

  “I don’t want to spoil the night, but it’s difficult with Bill here to say anything,” he whispered back in her ear.

  “Come on, let’s make our way to the dance floor. You can tell me there.”

  As they danced, Jamie put his lips to her ear to make himself heard, which reignited an old fetish.

  “Susan, I’m lucky to have your company tonight, but I don’t know if I can take it any further?” said Jamie.

  She pressed her lips to his ear to answer.

  “I know you asked me to marry you, but don’t worry I’m not trying to hold you to it,” she laughed. “I’m under no illusions. I’ve had a great night too. It’s not like you telephoned me for a date,” she said then laughed again.

  “The thing is, I’ve asked Mary out,” he said. There was silence for a while then Susan answered him.

  “Listen here, it’s just a night out. It’s not as if you’ve dated Mary yet. Just go with the flow, no pressure. I don’t expect you to phone me after tonight,” she said as the smooches started.

  Jamie moved closer until he felt the contours of her curvaceous body and held her as gentlemanly as he could, listening to the words of the music. Her perfume, the touch of her body and the music all combined until he was no longer aware of his limbs moving to the music, as if in a trance. He pulled her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder. With one hand, he lightly ran his fingers through her hair. Gently swaying to and fro his leg between her legs, he felt as if their bodies were one, and he could feel her entire form against his. Relaxing he rested his head on her shoulder, kissed her neck and she responded. The words of the love song were powerful and seemed aimed directly at them. Susan lifted her head as he lifted his and they rested foreheads together. Then they were cheek to cheek and started to kiss gently, until their lips met, falling into a passionate kiss. Jamie knew she would feel him aroused, but he didn’t care. As a matter of fact, it set him on fire.

  As the doorman signaled to the DJ, it was time to wrap up; he pressed play on his computer deck, pre loaded with a tune he used to clear the dance floor. The track sounded like a normal enough love song but then the speakers started to give out loud farts of all descriptions in between the lyrics. It wasn’t a smell that cleared the dance floor, but the joke of it all, as couples, including Jamie and Susan doubled up in stitches, unable to seriously smooch. The music changed to ‘Always look on the bright side of life,’ to clear away the diehards and the lights went on.

  Bill tapped Jamie on the shoulder.

  “See you tomorrow, lover boy; we’re just taking a taxi back to Gina’s penthouse.”

  Gina leaned over to kiss Jamie goodnight and, clearly intoxicated, stumbled, her left breast popping out of her bra. Bill shielded Gina as she tucked it back in. Bill winked and then they disappeared.

  Jamie felt uncomfortable, not knowing what to say, when Susan rescued him.

 
; “Thanks for a wonderful evening,” she said, linking his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. “My friend’s waiting over at the exit to take me home. I could suggest you came back for a coffee, but I think somehow, we should leave the magic of the night as it is. What do you think?”

  Jamie was torn. Oh, I don’t know, a coffee sounds good if it’s a prelude to our making love all night. The words came out differently. “I think you’re right; it’s been a fantastic night. It would be a shame for something to go wrong and spoil it. I’ll see you to the car.”

  Her friend sat in the car as they said their goodbyes.

  “Thanks again, don’t go feeling guilty. We shared a special moment that’s all, and like I said before, if you ever want to see me again give me a call. I’m always free on Thursdays,” she said and left with her friend.

  Jamie jumped into one of the taxis and headed for home and sweet dreams.

  As his taxi turned, the headlights caught two shadowy figures in suits. Jumping into their car, one of them looked like he scribbled down the registration of Jamie’s taxi. What the hell’s going on?

  Contents

  The log cabin

  Bill’s log cabin at Brakes Lake was nothing how Jamie imagined. He thought they would find it tucked away in a hillside a distance from the lake without any facilities. Jamie and the kids were in awe. The Cabin was sumptuously furnished with all modern conveniences and built on a slope at the lake's edge. The drive to the entrance was just off the main highway. The entrance was at ground level with no steps to climb. Entering the large family room, a patio door window took up the entire wall facing the lake, leading to a cedar deck.

  The panoramic view of the lake and surrounding mountains was breathtaking. It was as if an artist had painted a canvass to capture the very essence of nature in the stillness of the day. The frame of the patio doors acted as a frame for the canvass. The lake appeared to be a mirror with the reflection of the mountains in perfect symmetry, inviting one to climb down to the lake. Only the playful birds, skimming the water, gave away that it was true nature.

  “Welcome to my humble abode, Brakes Lodge,” said Bill as he lifted a trapdoor on the deck and invited them down the stairs to the mooring area under the cabin.

  “This is fantastic, Bill.”

  “Yeah, I am lucky to have kept hold of it with all my divorces. It’s been in my family for generations.”

  “I don’t see any other cabins,” said Jamie.

  “You won’t. This is a conservation area, no one can build here, or fish the lake.”

  “Then how can we go fishing?” asked Steve.

  “Ah that’s different. The cabin comes with fishing rights. The only thing I can’t do is use a speed boat.”

  “Is it safe to swim, Uncle Bill?” Steve asked.

  “It’s safe long as the alligators don’t get you,” Bill said laughing.

  “Are there really alligators?” asked Ellie.

  “No, I was only joshing.”

  All the same, Steve looked into the water and thought the better of going for a swim.

  “Come on, Ellie, help me unpack the food from the car, and we can take it down to the beach,” said Bill.

  As they went about their chores, Jamie and Steve took a stroll at the water’s edge.

  “Dad, this must be worth a million dollars.”

  “A million? I think it’s priceless. How could you put a price on this?”

  As they rounded some boulders and a small cliff face, they came across an incredible sight. Before them, there was a crescent shaped stretch of white sand. It was only about thirty meters long and fifteen meters at its widest.

  “I thought he was joking when he said beach, that’s exactly what it is,” said Jamie as Ellie and Bill rounded the corner.

  “Ah, you found my beach then?”

  “I’m impressed, this is fantastic!”

  “Tell that to the city officials, they’ve tried to get me to put it back to shingle but I’ve tied them down in litigation. Five years it took me, one bucket at a time. Luckily they don’t have any old photographs of the area.”

  “Do you think you can win?”

  “That depends. I bought a freshwater turtle from a pet shop and photographed it on the sand, then gave it back.”

  “What’s the point in that?”

  “I put the photograph to the courts with the papers we’ve lodged and told them it’s a breeding area. In freshwater, can you believe that? Those idiots don’t know what to do.”

  “You sly old devil, good luck to you,” said Jamie.

  “God loves a trier.”

  “Can I get the boat out, Uncle Bill?” asked Steve.

  “Sure, you and Ellie try it out. The fishing tackle is in the cabinet next to the boat. Here, I have some bait in this container. You two go along. Me and your dad can have a chat and start the barbecue.”

  The youngsters out of the way, they were desperate to tell their stories of the previous night.

  “JJ, I gotta tell ya, I’m in love.”

  “Steady on. Are you sure you’re not in lust?”

  “Well there is that, but honestly she’s fantastic. She flies to Italy tomorrow to a fashion show for her products, but she wants to see me when she gets back.”

  “Did you stay all night?”

  “No, I had to leave at two. Told me she had to be up early, her brother was picking her up to take her to the factory to collect her samples.”

  “I got back home at midnight; it was a great night for me too.”

  “Midnight! I take it you took her back to your house then?”

  “No, we said our goodbyes at the venue. We left things kind of open.”

  “God, Jamie you’re soft. She was practically wearing you. Man you can’t leave a woman that hot. It ain’t healthy.”

  “It doesn’t sound as if you fared much better arriving home at two.”

  “You’re joking, right? We had a fashion show when we got back to her apartment,” said Bill.

  “What do you mean fashion show?”

  “Don’t interrupt and maybe you’ll find out what happened.”

  “Okay, okay out with it.”

  “Like I said, when we got back she asked me if I wanted to see any of her old samples. I thought she meant bras and panties, you know the lingerie stuff. She disappeared into her bedroom and came out with the sexiest outfit I've ever seen. Thigh length, black leather boots, leather skin-tight hot pants and two studded belts in a cross over her chest with no bra and wearing a hat. You know, like those biker hats, the ones with the peaks. Oh, and she was holding a whip.”

  “Jesus Christ, is she a dominatrix?”

  “I’m not sure. She went back to her bedroom and came out with maybe ten different outfits.”

  “So did you?”

  “That’s the stupid thing about it. I was ready for it and she stripped me off. She lay me on the bed, sitting on me and massaging me with oil. When I tried anything, she pushed my hands away and just whispered, ‘Shush, in good time.’ I mean for Christ’s sake, JJ, when I left there I was aching so much my dick felt like it had run a marathon.”

  “Maybe she hates men, sound like she was teasing?”

  “No, I think she knows I’m special.”

  “Bill, be careful on this one, she could be screwing with your mind.”

  “She did that all right. But that was the only screwing we did.”

  “What about you?”

  “There’s nothing to tell. I told her about Mary, and she still wanted to ask me back for a coffee. She said there was no pressure and I could call her anytime.”

  “A coffee? She probably doesn’t even have a kettle. I can’t believe you turned that down. Hang on a moment, did you say Mary?”

  Jamie was hoping Bill had missed his slip of the tongue.

  “Okay, I think I can tell you, but not a word to the kids,” said Jamie. Then he relayed the history and Bill listened intently until he had finished.

 
“I hear what you’re saying and to be honest I think it’s tragic. But I think Mary is right on when she says you have to find peace within, and from what you said, the same goes for me.”

  “So what are you saying to me?”

  “You’ve only ever known June, if we forget the dynamic duo, who you don’t remember anyway. You’ve started to come out of your shell with women, but you still haven’t laid away all your ghosts. What good’s half a man to Mary?”

  “That’s a bit cruel.”

  “Sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind. Look Think of it as though you’re a chess player. You think you can play the game, but you haven’t mastered all the moves. Oh, and don’t think I’m not in the same position as you. All I’m saying is keep your options open. Take Mary out, but take things slow. Try to sort your past out with your sister for a start. What about this Afghanistan mystery? You can’t even talk about that. All these things are buzzing about in your subconscious: Afghanistan, June's flirting, your sisters and your mother. You can’t expect to get rid of your ghosts until you’ve faced all that crap and come to terms.”

  “You’ve missed your vocation, Bill; you should have been a counsellor.”

  “Counsellor? I couldn’t even take my own advice, so take no notice of me. Come on let’s get back to the cabin. You can help me carry the barbecue and I can get the food going.”

  Setting up the barbecue, Bill lit the charcoal with lighter fluid, the smoke nearly choking Jamie.

  “Go and have a wander, JJ, it’ll take some time for the coals to be ready.”

  “Yeah, I think I’ll do a bit of exploring.”

  “Just look out for the bears.”

  “Sure,” Jamie laughed. He made his way along the lakeside, taking the fresh air into his lungs. Looking out onto the lake, he could see Ellie and Steve working together trying to haul in a fish. The scene put a smile in his heart. Jamie made a right turn and headed into the woods. The aroma of nature tantalised his nostrils as he stirred up the pollen and made a trail in the long grass. As he worked his way deeper into the woods, the grass gave way to decaying leaves from trees that were becoming denser and ever taller in their desperate search for light.