I step down from the curb and bend over to look inside the vehicle. At first, I think my eyes are playing tricks on me. There’s no way Father Adair—someone who is supposed to be celibate—is looking for sex. There’s got to be a mistake.
I tense, ready to bolt away from the car, but his deep voice stops me. “Please wait.”
Chapter 5
WESLEY
I tap the steering wheel as I navigate the dark streets. I’ve just left the home of a member of my congregation who wasn’t able to attend service this past Sunday. Mrs. Mallard, who’s an avid church goer, fell a few days ago and broke her hip. She was devastated she couldn’t attend church, so I told her I would stop by to pray with her. I’ll continue to do so until she’s on her feet again and can rejoin us on Sundays. While I was there, she was adamant I stay for the dinner her daughter cooked. Who was I to deny a home-cooked meal, something I usually only get when I visit one of my sisters?
It’s well past dark, and I need to get back to the church so Father Gabriel can go home. I have a couple of things I need to take care of before I can go home myself.
I’m passing through a part of town that’s been run down for years when something catches my attention. It’s a woman dressed in a black dress that wouldn’t be considered decent by any standards. I’m not sure what it is, but she seems familiar. I don’t come to this part of town often, so unless they’re a part of my congregation, I shouldn’t know anyone.
I slow my SUV to try and get a better look. It only takes me a second to recognize her. Even just seeing the side of her face, I know it’s the girl from the church. I pull my vehicle to the curb beside her.
Why is she here? Is she one of the prostitutes who frequents this area? How is that even possible? She’s far too young to be selling her body for sex.
My window is down, and I’m leaning over the middle console when I see her coming my way. I hope my eyes have deceived me and this girl is not the same one who keeps taking food from my church.
When she bends down to the window, I get my first real glimpse of her, and there’s no mistaking this is the same girl. She looks ready to bolt when her eyes meet mine, so I hold my hand out and plead, “Please wait.”
She hesitates, and I’m not sure if she’s going to run away or stay. I hold her eyes, hoping she sees the earnestness in my gaze. Neither of us speaks for several long seconds. I spend those seconds wondering what she’s doing here. Wondering what made her so desperate that she’s on this street, doing what she’s doing.
Slipping past the red lipstick coating her lips, she runs her tongue over the bottom one. With her hand on the window frame, her eyes take in the interior of my SUV before she brings them back to me. Her lips curve up into a seductive smile, but the look doesn’t reach her eyes. She appears nervous, in spite of the way she’s trying to come off.
“Aren’t priests supposed to be celibate, Father?”
Hearing her voice, I’m shocked when my first thought is that she sounds like an angel. An adult angel. Looking at her, from what I’ve seen of her body in her too-revealing dress, and fully seeing her face, she’s not as young as I first thought.
“We are,” I say when I find my voice.
She cocks her head to the side, regarding me with one brow lifted. “I know you’re innocent and all, but you can’t be so naïve that you don’t know what a woman like myself is doing out on the street at night, in this part of town.” She leans over more, propping her elbows on the window frame. “Why did you pull over?”
My eyes betray me by looking down at the ample cleavage she just put on display by leaning over. And what’s worse, the appendage in my slacks takes notice as well. I grit my teeth in shame when my dick starts to harden.
“You’re the girl who keeps taking food from my church,” I say in a calm voice, so I don’t scare her off.
Her shoulders stiffen for a moment, like she’s holding her breath before they relax again. I’m surprised when she openly admits her sin. “Yes, that was me. I’m not going to apologize for it. I needed the food.”
I lean over the console more. “Let me help you.”
She laughs, but there’s no humor in the sound. “There’s nothing you can do for me.”
Her eyes move from my face to my chest then down to my lap. With her gaze on me, my dick grows thicker. Before I go home for the night, it looks like I’ll be spending time in front of the cross asking the Lord for forgiveness.
“Unless,” her eyes move back up to mine, “you want to hang up your priesthood for the night and spend some time with me. Money is what I need right now.”
Shamefully, my initial thought isn’t to deny this girl. An image pops into my head of her laid out on my altar, her head thrown back in pleasure. I don’t see the person who’s giving her this pleasure, but something whispers in my mind that it’s me.
I force those thoughts from my head. I haven’t had sexual cravings in years, so why am I having them now?
Lord, please give me strength, I send up the silent prayer.
“That’s not an option,” I tell the girl. Her features drop, as if she’s disappointed. “But there are other ways I can help you. Why don’t you come back to the church with me and explain your situation?” I look around where I’m parked. “You shouldn’t be out here.”
“Thanks for the concern, Father, but I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a while.”
“How old are you?”