Chapter Ten
Father Gregory’s cell phone rang seconds after he returned to his car. He’d walked around the neighborhood where Saint Xavier’s School was located, looking for Tyler without any luck. He reached inside the pocket of his leather bomber jacket and removed his phone.
“This is Father Gregory.” He frowned at the sound of sobs and a panic-stricken voice screaming on the other end. “Royce, please calm down, dear heart. I can’t understand what you’re saying. Take a deep breath and start over. I’m listening.” He unlocked the car door and sat down in the driver’s seat and willed his heartbeat to return to its normal rhythm. The pain in Royce’s voice troubled him terribly.
“Tyler has been arrested! He . . . he was hanging out at the mall with those hoodlums on the basketball team. I didn’t give him permission to go to the mall. He was supposed to have been at the church with you.”
“Where are you, Royce? I could come and pick you up later and take you to the youth detention center. Is there a bond? Maybe we could get Tyler out of lockup.”
“I’m on my way to Metro YDC now. I’m prepared to do whatever I have to do to bring Tyler home. And once I get him there, I’m going to kill him!”
Father Gregory checked the clock on the dashboard. He had exactly twenty minutes to get to the church for prayer service and biblical exploration. “I would love to meet you at the detention center, but I’m expected at the church in a little while. Will you call me with an update? I want to speak with Tyler before he goes to bed if possible.”
“I’ll give you a call as soon as I can. But in the meantime, you better pray for your little friend. He’s going to need an entire flock of angels to protect him from me.”
* * *
Father Gregory bit into his bottom lip to keep from shouting out in pain when he tripped over the curl at the end of the Oriental rug. It had caused him to stumble in the darkness and pound his left foot against the end table. The persistent tapping at the door had awakened him from a restless sleep in the parlor of the parsonage. Father Rivera and Father Schmidt were upstairs in their bedrooms, obviously slumbering through the steady knocking.
Luckily for the mystery late-night visitor, the senior priest at Lord of the Harvest parish had not turned in for the night. He was too worried and upset about the arrest of his mentee, Tyler Benson, to sleep. His on-and-off-again dozing on the leather chaise longue while flipping through Scripture was the only snippet of rest Father Gregory had enjoyed over the past few hours. He had intentionally remained in the parlor past his normal bedtime, hoping that Royce Phillips would call again but with good news this time. He didn’t want Tyler to spend the night in juvenile detention. He’d prayed and asked God to allow him to be released.
Father Gregory shuffled to the front door with a throbbing foot, and he disengaged the locks. Certain that one of the nuns or deacons from the church was on the other side, he snatched the brass handle, opening the door wide. The next few seconds whizzed by in a blur. A warm and soft body fell into his arms as the scent of vanilla sobered his senses. The sound of pitiful whimpers and rambling words that he couldn’t comprehend were sure signs that Tyler’s circumstances were more serious than he’d anticipated.
“They . . . they wouldn’t even let me see him! I couldn’t see him! He’s in . . . in that awful place overnight!”
“Hush now,” Father Gregory said, attempting to console Royce. He enfolded her in his arms. “Hush now. Everything is going to work out just fine.”
Royce, obviously overwhelmed with emotion, cried continuously as Father Gregory led her into the house. Her trembling body jerked in his arms each time she tried to speak. The sorrow in her stuttered words and whimpers broke Father Gregory’s heart. He pulled her body closer to his, and she pressed her face against his chest. He guided Royce down the dark hall in the opposite direction of the parlor. Father Gregory was afraid that her crying would wake the other priests. Mindlessly, he led her into the master suite for privacy. As soon as the door closed behind them, Royce collapsed in his arms. He embraced her and rubbed her back as she wailed out her sadness.
“I told him to stay away from those bad boys. I told him. Why would he go to the mall and shoplift with them? Why?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Tyler that. When will you be able to see him?”
“He’ll appear before a juvenile judge tomorrow morning at eleven o’clock. My attorney will be there to represent him. Hopefully, the judge will release Tyler since he’s never been in trouble before.”
“I believe he will.”
The room fell silent. The sudden hush caused an acute awareness to strike Father Gregory like lightning. In his arms was the one woman whose heart and body he desired more than anything. She had come to him to be comforted from her emotional pain, and he had done his best to help ease her burden. Now, all he could think about was the pleasure her body was giving his in an innocent embrace. Her soft curves pressing against his rigidness caused his blood to simmer and rush to his penis. Father Gregory swallowed hard and tried to think of a Scripture to help him fight the mounting temptation. His mind went blank.
Royce lifted her head from his chest and stared at his face. Slivers of moonlight peeping through the cracks in the blinds made it possible to see her eyes. They were swollen and red from crying, but Father Gregory noticed something more significant. Royce’s deep brown orbs were filled with yearning. She wanted Father Gregory. He saw it clearly.
Without words or forethought, their lips came together in a smoldering, wet kiss with their tongues dancing and devouring each other. Royce tightened her hold around Father Gregory’s neck, meshing their bodies closer together. He moaned in delight when she thrust her hips forward and ground against his stiff, enlarged shaft. The feel of Royce’s soft hands sliding from his shoulders to caress his chest caused more blood to rush to his penis.
Father Gregory grabbed Royce’s round bottom and squeezed it as her hot tongue darted in and out of his mouth. She rocked her hips, stimulating his manhood even more. His erection had become painful, and he needed relief. As if on cue, Royce slid her hands underneath Father Gregory’s white T-shirt and explored his pectoral and abdominal muscles. He threw his head back and growled in enjoyment when her fingertips toyed with the hair sprinkled about his chest.
Royce snatched the T-shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor. Then she lowered her hand to his crotch and rubbed the firm bulge. Father Gregory opened his mouth to speak, but no words would flow. Royce kissed and sucked his nipples as she unzipped his jeans. She released the button and maneuvered her hand inside his boxers and started stroking his rock-solid dick.
“Royce, ah, Royce,” he mumbled.
“Yeah, baby, this is what you need.” She tugged at his boxers and jeans until they fell to his ankles. “Royce is about to give you what you need.”
Father Gregory removed his feet from his underwear and pants and stood before Royce as naked as Adam in the Garden of Eden. She kissed him deeply again as she continued to stroke his hardness. He moaned, loving the feel of Royce’s hand caressing his manhood.
She pulled back and removed her coat and tossed it on the chair. She unbuttoned her blouse, exposing her black lace bra. Father Gregory watched in awe as Royce did away with her tan slacks. He reached for her, and she took his hand and guided him to the bed. Royce pushed Father Gregory gently, and he landed on his back on the beige duvet comforter. Slowly, she removed her bra and panties while he watched in appreciation. Royce stretched out on top of him and kissed him passionately. He accepted her tongue and rubbed her bare ass. He squeezed and massaged it tenderly as if it were a priceless treasure.
Royce lowered her lips to tease Father Gregory’s nipples with the tip of her tongue. She dipped her head lower to kiss his belly button and to slide her tongue in and out of it. Downward, her lips kissed his penis several times before she took it fully into her mouth. Father Gregory’s entire body quivered. Royce’s wet, warm mouth on his hardened manhood was an introduction to pure ecstasy. She snaked her tongue over the sensitive head repeatedly as she sucked him and massaged his testicles.
“Royce,” he called out. “My sweet Royce.”
“Yeah, baby, I’m all yours tonight,” she answered, lifting her head from his crotch.
Father Gregory pulled Royce up and into his arms before he rolled over on top of her. He fondled both her breasts while kissing the flesh between them. His tongue circled one hard nipple and then the other one. He took one into his mouth and sucked it gently. Royce rubbed the back of his head and arched her back. Father Gregory rubbed her flat belly and whispered her name. He explored her body, caressing her hips and thighs. He reached lower to play with the fine hairs covering her vagina. Royce opened her legs wide to accommodate his trembling hand as his fingers entered her sweet wetness.
“You’re so wet,” he whispered, sliding two fingers in and out of her dampness, stroking her erect, sensitive bud.
“Mmm, mmm . . .”
The heady aroma of sex lingered in the air as Royce’s nectar flowed like a stream under Father Gregory’s touch. She hummed appreciatively and spread her legs wider. He liked how her body responded to him. Giving her pleasure pleased him very much.
He removed his hand from Royce’s wet, hot vagina and licked his fingers, tasting the moisture of her desire. He loved the flavor of her sex on his tongue. He lowered his face to the junction of her thighs and inhaled its feminine scent. It heightened his arousal to a brand-new altitude. His tongue plunged deep between her folds and stroked her hard clit. It was warm and saturated with her sugary liquid lust. Royce rotated her hips in response to the flicks of Father Gregory’s tongue against her stiff, drenched clit. She jerked and hummed as he licked her into oblivion. He felt her beautiful body convulsing. Her soft hums grew into wails. The bed rocked underneath them. The headboard tapped the wall incessantly.
“Yesss!” Royce screamed and gripped the back of Father Gregory’s head nestled between her thighs. “Mmm, yesss, baby, yesss!”
The jerking stopped, and Father Gregory lifted his head. He eased his way up Royce’s body and looked into her eyes. She panted and smiled. He kissed her lips with a hunger that nearly took his breath away. Royce wiggled her hips until the head of his erect penis was positioned at the opening of her wetness. Their eyes met and locked for what seemed like an eternity. With perfect aim, he entered her body and went completely still.
“Royce,” he whispered on a shaky breath.
She didn’t answer him with words. Her body took over. She thrust her hips upward as if inviting him in. Instinctively, Father Gregory began to move in and out of Royce slowly. He looked into her pretty brown eyes and got lost. He stroked her long and deeply. Her warmth and wetness fascinated him.
His hardness was buried completely within her feminine walls, sliding in and out with measured thrusts. It felt amazing. He picked up his pace and plunged deeper. A foreign sensation gripped him from head to toe. Making love for the very first time was euphoric. Father Gregory’s body had never experienced physical gratification of such a great magnitude. With each powerful thrust, he felt his soul soaring higher and higher to some magical place far, far away.
The edges of Royce’s fingernails pressed into the flesh on his back as she cooed, bucked, and rotated her hips in sync with his. She reached up and held his face between her palms and licked his lips. Her hot, wet, open-mouth kisses sent Father Gregory’s spirit ascending into the atmosphere, floating above the night’s clouds. His inner man defied gravity, looking down at his body as it shuddered madly from an orgasm, satisfying and sweet. He bucked and moaned as warm semen swooshed from his body into Royce’s womb.
“Royyyyyce!” He belted out the one word from his soul.
His release must have triggered her second one of the night. She wrapped her legs around his waist and bucked wildly underneath him, purring, “Mmm, Father Gregory . . .”
Hearing those two words, his spiritual title and surname, snatched him from that mystical place and returned him to the real world. It was the world where he was never to lie with a woman, yet there he was.