Chapter One
“Good afternoon, Sister Ellen Marie. We have a one o’clock appointment to see the senior priest. I know we’re late, but this little angel decided to take a detour after school,” Royce said, yanking her eleven-year-old nephew’s arm in frustration. She moved his lanky body from its position behind her to stand at her side.
Tyler frowned and freed himself from his aunt’s grip. “Ouch! What did you do that for?”
“You know why. Now, zip your lips, boy. I’m going to let the priest deal with you.”
The nun flashed a knowing smile and waved her hand, inviting Royce and Tyler to follow her down the corridor of the church’s office area. “Come right this way. He’s been waiting for the two of you.”
“God bless you, Sister.”
Sister Ellen Marie knocked once on one of the massive double doors before she opened them wide. She stepped aside. Once again, she gestured with a wave of her hand, causing the long, flowing sleeve of her habit to sway. “Father Nicholas Gregory, meet Royce Phillips and her nephew, Tyler.”
The priest turned around slowly from the bookshelf and flashed a smile so wickedly enticing that Royce instantly felt warm and lightheaded. She saw his hand extended as he walked closer to her and Tyler, but she didn’t want to take hold of it. Even in the holy confines of the priest’s office, Satan had managed to flood her mind with lustful thoughts. Royce fought the urge to throw herself into Father Gregory’s long arms and taste his full and sexy lips. They looked luscious underneath his thick, curly mustache. As a registered nurse turned certified fitness instructor and trainer, Royce could thoroughly assess a human body in detail with just one quick glance. The priest’s black, tailored cassock couldn’t hide his well-toned physique, standing tall and erect underneath it. His body was simply divine. And his flawless complexion reminded Royce of sweet, rich milk chocolate. Her taste buds began to betray her on sight. She nearly drooled. The new priest had enormous hands and feet, her wandering eyes couldn’t help but notice. If it hadn’t been for the flaring skirt of his cassock, Royce would’ve surely inspected the area between his thighs. That thought made her cringe with fear and shock. Undressing a man of God with her eyes in the church had to be a spiritual offense worthy of fire and damnation.
“I’m Father Gregory,” his deep baritone timbre rumbled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Phillips.”
Royce blinked a few times to clear her head from its ungodly thoughts. She smiled and finally took the offered hand. “Hello. Where is Father McGreevy today? Tyler’s appointment was supposed to have been with him.”
Sister Ellen Marie touched Royce’s shoulder lightly. “He’s gone on to lead another parish. The archdiocese reassigned him to a church up in rural Pennsylvania. The move had been postponed for a few months until two weeks ago.”
“I had no idea. We haven’t been to church since New Year’s Eve.”
“I’ve heard lots of amazing things about you and your family, Tyler,” Father Gregory said, addressing the youngster directly. “Father McGreevy left notes describing you as a wonderful kid with an abundance of energy and creativity.” He offered Tyler his hand in a friendly shake.
“He did? He was a real cool dude. I hope you are too.” The boy shook and released the priest’s hand. He shot him a sharp stare. “You are cool, aren’t you?”
“I’d like to think so. Why don’t you and your aunt have a seat so you can tell me why you’re here today?”
“Um, I have to run,” Royce announced, glancing down at her watch. “I usually leave Tyler here with Father McGreevy and the nuns for a couple of hours or so to do chores around the church while I teach my afternoon Zumba class. Will that be a problem?”
“As long as Tyler is comfortable here with the sisters and me, it’ll be fine with me.”
* * *
“So, what do you think about the new priest? Is he nice?”
“I like him. He’s smart. He helped me with all my homework before we did anything else. Then after we finished updating the membership roster on the computer and helped the nuns fold blankets for the homeless, we walked around the corner to the park and shot hoops. Father’s got an outrageous jump shot, Auntie Royce. I never knew a priest who could play basketball before.”
I’ve never met a priest that damn fine before! The words almost slipped from Royce’s lips, but she swallowed them and smiled at her nephew across the kitchen table. “Where is Father Gregory from, sweetie?”
“He was born and raised in Chicago, but he moved down here to Atlanta from Boston. Can you believe he once lived in Barbados for an entire year? I saw the pictures in his scrapbook. He’s been all over the world.”
“That’s interesting.” A vision of the handsome priest dressed in a pair of skin-tight swimming trunks while relaxing on a white, sandy beach as waves from the crystal blue ocean crashed against the shore swept Royce away. She imagined beads of sweat glistening against his smooth skin under the bright Caribbean sun with the sound of seagulls squawking in the distance. In his hand he held a fruity, tropical beverage adorned with the cutest tiny umbrella of many colors. There were two straws in the cold, refreshing drink. One was for Father Gregory and the other for Royce. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, causing her nipples to become sensitive and as hard as a pair of marbles. Then in his deep, hypnotic voice, he invited Royce to share his thirst-quenching beverage with him and promised to satisfy her hunger for him later in the privacy of their oceanfront villa.
“So, is it okay with you, Auntie? I promise to be on my best behavior.”
Royce had heard Tyler talking to her the entire time she fantasized about a romantic beach rendezvous with their new priest, but she couldn’t pull herself out of the daydream, nor did she want to. The scene was much too mesmerizing. She grabbed a napkin from the dinner table and wiped her lips. The very idea of kissing Father Gregory and sharing a cool drink with him had teased her taste buds, causing her mouth to become overly moist. Royce’s sinful thoughts had also brought on a sudden gush of moisture in the intimate spot between her thighs. She crossed her legs against the dampness in her crotch and the warm sensations down there, all while hearing Tyler’s voice but not fully understanding his words. Her mind was reeling from the aftermath of her erotic vision. She was actually aroused. It had to be an abomination before God to lust after a priest. Royce was pretty sure she was going to hell if she didn’t check her thoughts about Father Gregory.
“He only has seven tickets, so I’ll have to let him know soon if I can go, Auntie.”
Royce’s senses finally left the beach and returned to her kitchen. She took a stabilizing breath and gave Tyler her undivided attention. “I’m sorry, honey. I have so many things on my mind. My brain is scrambled. Where did Father Gregory invite you to go with him?”
“He and Sister Eva want to take a few of the boys and one girl in our Sunday school class to a Hawks game Friday night. Can I go with them, please? I promise to behave in school and do well on all of my assignments. I’ll do every one of my chores around here without complaining if you’ll let me go.”
“You may go to the basketball game, Tyler, but I’m going to hold you to your word. And you can’t hang around those bad boys at school anymore. They’re nothing but trouble, and I don’t want you to be involved in their foolishness. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
* * *
Royce hung up the phone after her brief conversation with Brandon, and she turned on the television. As she surfed through the channels with the remote control, snatches of their last date ran through her memory. No fireworks. Not even a tiny spark. The guy just did not do it for her. He was handsome enough, and he definitely knew how to show a girl a good time. Attorney Brandon Hartwell was also a big spender with an appetite for the finer things in life. More importantly, he had been a perfect gentleman so far. With so many good qualities, Royce couldn’t understand why she hadn’t melted under his romantic heat yet.
Her sister, Zora, had encouraged her to give the good-looking lawyer one more chance by going out on another date with him. Royce’s initial response to that suggestion had been laughter. She had already planned to serve Brandon a pink slip. She figured if he hadn’t lit her fire after five dates, he simply lacked the ability to do so.
But now that Royce had lost her mind and started salivating over Father Gregory as if he were a slice of chocolate cake, another date with a gorgeous, rich man seemed like a good idea. Hopefully, it would be the distraction she needed. So, Friday evening while Tyler and his friends would be cheering for the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena with the priest, she’d be enjoying spicy Jamaican cuisine and reggae music at the Golden Grove with Brandon.