Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 468(@250wpm)___ 390(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 468(@250wpm)___ 390(@300wpm)
“Good morning, Belladonna,” the priest says. He has a short beard and deep smile lines around his blue eyes. A disarming face, but something about how he studies me unsettles me.
“Call me Bella.”
“Shall we?” He sweeps out a hand and leads us to his office, which smells like old books with a faint whiff of incense. Bookshelves cover the walls from floor to ceiling. The leather-bound volumes have faded text on the spines. It reminds me of the oldest parts of the main library at UU.
Father Francis settles into a plush armchair that looks older than me. The burgundy velvet is worn down on the arms.
Kaiser maneuvers me to a couch facing the priest. I sit at one end, but Kaiser sits in the middle, and his weight tips me toward him. Then he puts his right arm around me and pulls me close so my thigh is flush against his. And as if it’s not enough that we’re practically welded together, he reaches across with his left hand to grab my right wrist. There are wrestling holds with less contact than this.
Suddenly, I’m hot all over. I try to tilt away from him, but then I’m just snuggling into his arm. I cross my legs, but it only makes me aware of how wet I am, just from him manhandling me. Meanwhile, he looks unbothered. It’s so unfair.
Father Francis smiles at us. “I’m so glad we could meet together today.”
“This is a farce. You know that, right?”
Kaiser’s arm squeezes me gently, but I ignore the warning. “He knows.”
“I do.” Father Francis tilts his head. “I helped oversee the negotiations.”
My heart speeds up. I feel like I’m about to explode. How did a priest get caught up in all this? He must have some ties to Fraternitas. Now it makes sense why Kaiser brought me here.
“Then you know this marriage is fake. My father signed a contract.” My face is flushed with anger. I haven’t forgotten that my father signed the contract on my behalf. “No one even asked me.”
“Is that important to you? Do you want Kaiser to ask you? Get down on one knee?”
Is he serious? He has to be mocking me, except he seems genuinely interested in my answer.
“I don’t want to get married at all.”
Father Francis nods like this is normal. “I understand that the situation isn’t what you’d choose. But people marry for many different reasons. Security, stability, heirs, love—”
“Lust,” I throw out and wish I hadn’t said anything. I don’t want to be in lust with Kaiser. Although if I confess to this priest all the things Kaiser did to me last night, will that get him in trouble? How much authority does Father Francis have over Kaiser?
As soon as the thought comes, I dismiss it. The priest probably only has as much authority over Kaiser as Kaiser allows. But maybe I can learn more about what’s going on.
“Marriage is sacred. I’m here to help you find common ground. See what values you share. Even though this is an arranged union, there are ways you can come to terms with a partnership. Meet each other’s needs.”
Right now, I need to kill someone. And then maybe have an orgasm.
It doesn’t help to know that Kaiser would be great at meeting both of those needs.
“Bella, what do you want out of this partnership?”
“Respect,” I say before I think about it. Damn it, I should’ve said “Freedom.”
I don’t know why I’m even answering. Maybe I just want to see where this conversation leads. But I can’t discount the fact that the priest has years of experience eliciting deep secrets from people, and right now, he’s using that power on me.
“Communion,” Kaiser says before the priest can ask.
“Do you think you can come to respect Bella?”
I lean into his arm, the one with the rash on it. He sucks in a breath and says, “Yes.”
“And Bella, do you think you can give Kaiser what he needs?”
“Isn’t communion your area of expertise?” That’s what they call their fake cannibal ceremony, right? Holy Communion.
Father Francis grins. “I don’t think that’s the sort of connection Kaiser wants with you.”
“I don’t know, sometimes I think he wants to eat me.”
Father Francis continues as if I didn’t say anything. “To commune with someone is to share a deep intimacy. Closeness. Connection. All humans crave it. But it requires a level of trust. Do you trust each other?”
“Nope.”
Kaiser shakes his head.
“But you do desire him.”
“I plead the fifth.”
“She does,” Kaiser says.
I elbow him in the ribs and immediately regret it. “Ow.” It feels like I banged my funny bone on a doorjamb.
Kaiser helps me rub it better. His big hand massages my skin, and it feels good, as it always does when he touches me.
When I look up, Father Francis regards us with a satisfied expression. “Well, that’s a start.”