When I got to St. John’s I started to question whether my coming there was a good idea or not.

I wandered around outside for a minute before I saw the sign that said, Church Offices. Hesitantly, I pointed my feet in that direction and headed towards the door. Just as I was about to turn the door handle, it opened and a plump blonde lady came out of it.

“Oh, excuse me,” she said, almost bumping into me. “Can I help you?”

“I’m not sure. I was looking for Bishop Soto.”

“His office is in there.” She pointed to an interior door behind her. “But he just walked over to the sanctuary for a minute. I was just on my way to lunch. You could wait for him here . . .” She looked nervous about leaving me by myself.

“I’ll just mill around outside in the garden and wait for him to get back,” I said. “I’m not in a rush and it’s such a lovely day.”

“That sounds fine. But, are you sure you don’t want to have a seat inside?”

“Absolutely.”

“All right. If he asks, be sure you tell him I offered,” she said, walking to her car which was parked a few feet away.

“I sure will,” I said, and waved to her as she drove away.

The weather was nice out, but after about ten minutes of standing in the sun, I grew impatient and walked over to the door to the sanctuary and opened it.

A whoosh of cool air hit my face and I took a step inside letting the heavy door close behind me.

The inside of the sanctuary was large and the ceiling seemed to go on forever. My shoes clicked on the stone floor, echoing through the cavernous building.

I considered calling out, but the air felt too solemn. The kind of place where you whispered.

Wooden pews lined each side, and a central aisle led to an altar which was piled high with white flowers and adorned with golden tapestries and linens.

I probably shouldn’t be in here, I thought, turning around to leave.

“Chloe?” His voice stopped me.

“Yes?” I said over my shoulder, feeling foolish for being there. I didn’t belong in this place

“What happened to you?” He strode towards me.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t look so good, and I’m surprised to see you here.”

“My roommate stole my money and disappeared,” I blurted out.

“Like your debit card? You can probably put a stop on it.”

“No, it was in cash. In my closet. She took it all and probably left town.”

His mouth hung open. “Cash? How much cash?”

“Thousands. It was the money I’d saved to be able to start my own bake shop. So I could quit dancing.”

His eyes widened. “Oh, Chloe, I’m so sorry.”

He put his arms around me, and I folded myself into his embrace. My body began to shake again, but I tried not to start crying again.

“I hate to ask this, but why didn’t you have the money in a bank?”

Anger welled up inside me. I’d known this question would come up, but I knew my answer would sound stupid.

“I don’t trust banks,” I muttered. The unspoken fact that I’d instead trusted a thieving roommate made me feel like a fool. “They took our house back from my mother when I was little, and they charge penalties and fees for the dumbest things. They’re crooks.”

To give him credit, he didn’t correct my logic, which, in light of my current predicament, came across as rather skewed. He simply held me.

“So, did you have the money in a coffee can or something? That’s a lot of cash.”

I shrugged. “No. It was in a lockbox. I kept the key separate. I still have that.” I laughed at the irony. “It’s just not going to do me much good if I don’t have the box it unlocks.”

He nodded.

“I’m so sorry, Chloe. The sin of selfishness leads to many bad outcomes.”

“That’s what you think this is—her being selfish?”

He nodded. “Thinking of oneself first often leads to harming others. So the money is gone. Have you tried to track her down? Or told the police?”

“You have to be kidding. She’d only deny it.”

“You’re probably right, but it wouldn’t hurt to let the authorities know in case they found the money on her, then they could return it to you.”

“You’re right. I’ll do that.”

“What about your family? Do any of them have any money they can loan you?”

The mention of my family brought a lump to my throat. I shook my head.

“My mom, she’s all the family I have left. Her and her sister, but they don’t have any money. We’re all struggling just to get by. My mom is one of the reasons I really wanted to have my own business, so I could help her. Seems like a pipe dream now.”

He pulled me close. “I’m sorry. That has to be so difficult, and I’m sure you miss her.”

“I do.” That was the understatement of my life. My mom had been sick for the last decade. Yes, I missed her but the woman she was now wasn’t the mother I missed. I still loved her, but she wasn’t the same person. Most of the time she didn’t even remember me.

Last year I took two weeks off from work to go see her, and of the ten days I was there, there was only one day where she even remembered who I was. The rest of the time she thought I was her sister, or a neighbor. These days I mostly sent money. Her care was expensive and my aunt could use all the help she could get financially.

“Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

It was a nice sentiment, but there wasn’t much anybody could do. Alzheimer’s was a bitch of a disease. It was hell on the patient as well as the family. A cruel joke that had definitely made me question my faith in God.

“Thanks.”

“We never know why God puts certain challenges in our path, but he always has a plan.”

I laughed bitterly. “Well, he’s putting boulders in my path lately.”

He sighed. “Sometimes it feels that way, doesn’t it? You feel like what life throws at you is insurmountable, or like your life is harder than everyone else’s.”

“Yeah. Why is that? Am I just snakebit or what?”

“I believe that God only gives us what we can handle. I also believe he rewards those who persevere.”

“Great,” I said without enthusiasm.

“Here,” he said, taking my hand.

“What?”

He tugged on my hand.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Too exhausted from crying to argue, I allowed him to lead me to the altar.

Then he motioned for me to kneel down.

My knees felt weak which made it easier to comply, and I sank down onto the needlepointed cushion.

“What are we doing?” I whispered.

“We’re going to pray,” he said, standing in front of me behind the kneeling rail, and placed his hand on my forehead.

“Dear Lord, I ask you to bless your daughter Chloe. For you, and you alone can ease her plight. We ask that you be with her and her family as they suffer through a difficult time . . .”

He spoke with a confidence that was so sexy I couldn’t help but notice his crotch was practically right in my face.

I tried to stifle a giggle, and suddenly I was thirteen years old again, doing my best not to laugh in church. But this time, I wanted to giggle because I knew how inappropriate it was that this holy man was making my panties damp.

I don’t think he noticed, because he droned on, asking God for this and that—all of it for me. I was flattered, even though I knew he probably prayed like this with dozens of people like this every week. Hell, it was his job.

“. . . We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.”

“Amen.” It popped out automatically.

He took my hand, and I stood up.

Suddenly our faces were remarkably close to one another, and I could feel his warm breath on my skin.

“Thank you,” I managed, my stomach twisting in knots. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anybody pray over me like that before.”

“That’s a sin,” he said in a husky voice. Then he brushed the hair out of my eyes and kissed my forehead.

A moan escaped my lips. Normally, I took pains to hide my attraction to men. It gave me the upper hand, but after all that crap I’d been dealing with lately, I was emotionally battered and my defenses were practically non-existent.

“Come here,” he said and disappeared into an adjacent corridor. Probably a back hallway where the choir could travel back and forth without being seen by those seated in the congregation.

It was dark, and I could barely see where I was going. The only sound was the click of my heels against the stone floor.

“Where . . . ?”

He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me to him.

“Chloe.” It was the only word he said before he began to love me.

His lips crushed mine, his tongue seeking my warmth.

I leaned in—surrendered.

All I wanted was to let this honorable man do what he wanted with me.

He pushed me up against the wall. His breath warmed my face, and my knees threatened to give out. What was he doing? This wasn’t how I expected a priest to behave, especially in a church. Wasn’t he worried someone would see us? Someone could come in any moment, but he didn’t seem to care.

His erection pressed against my pelvis, homing in like a heat-seeking missile. I uttered a half-hearted protest, “But . . .”

He responded by trailing passionate kisses down my neck. God, he felt incredible, and I couldn’t help but imagine some other places I’d like him to explore with that mouth of his. I clutched him to me kissing his hair, his face, whatever I could reach.

Our lips brushed again, and I let him claim my mouth the way the rest of my body yearned to be claimed. Hungry for more of his touch, I wished there weren’t so many clothes between us, that we weren’t in a public, not to mention, holy place.

One of his hands traveled up my skirt, where he found my sex. He wound his fingers nimbly under my panties and entered me with one finger.

Shocked, I hissed, “What are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing?” he whispered in my ear.

“Good Lord, I don’t know. But you’re a priest for Christ’s sake.”

“I may be a priest, Chloe, but I’m a man first.”

My breathing roared in my ears, and I felt slightly dizzy. I started to protest further, but he silenced me with a “Shhh.”

I gulped and held him tight, as he inserted another finger in me and started fucking me hard. The noises from him stirring my juices made me cringe. We were in a church! I knew this was wrong, but somehow it also made it more exciting.

My eyes had been squeezed shut, but now I fluttered them open and noticed candles flickering, creating dancing shadows on the walls.

My conscience intruded, chastising me for engaging in this behavior in a church. Did I have some sort of self-destructive streak? When I came here I certainly hadn’t expected Bishop Soto to do this to me in the church sanctuary.

However, he had tried to tell me there was more to him than just a collar, and I was starting to understand what he meant as I clung to him, my pussy throbbing with need.

The tips of his fingers curled over my G-spot, and I let out a whimper. Sensing he’d found a magic button, he did it again, running his fingers over and over that special spot as he worked my pussy with his surprisingly talented hand. Before I knew it my legs were trembling, and my climax overtook me. I moaned loudly and he clapped a hand over my mouth. “Shhh,” he whispered, his hand continuing to work fervently.

If he hadn’t had me trapped between the stone wall and his body I would have simply sunk to the floor. The orgasm he’d wrung from me had been so intense I was panting.

When he finally stopped he held me tight. “Damn, I want you, Chloe,” he growled. “I want you more than you can know.”

As the haze in my mind began to dissipate, I started to decipher his words. “Oh, so you mean . . . you can’t . . . ?”

With a sigh of frustration he released me and stepped back. No longer touching me, I felt his absence acutely. My arms ached to have him back in them, and I was surprised that my desire outweighed my shame.

I just wanted more.

“No. Not outside the bonds of marriage.”

A wan smile crossed my face. “So, you do have limits.”

“Of course I have limits,” he snapped. “I’m a priest, sworn to uphold God’s law.”

“What was that then?” I snapped back, and as soon as I said the words I wished I could have them back. The tortured look on his face only made it worse.

Rubbing his beard, he groaned, “I have my own struggles, the same as any man. I’m no saint.” He hung his head. “I’m sorry. I got carried away. I shouldn’t have . . .”

This hot, carnal side of Bishop Soto intrigued me. There was nothing sexier than forbidden fruit.

That was all there was to it—he couldn’t have me, therefore he wanted me.

And I wasn’t supposed to have him, so that made him more attractive.

But all the chemistry in the world couldn’t have prepared me for what he said next.

Taking my face in his hands, he said, “Chloe my dear, I know how to solve our problems.”

“Yeah, how’s that?”

“Marry me.”