The Angel

“Eleanor?” Søren’s voice pulled her out of the memory and back to the present.

Nora touched her face and held out her hand. In the light of the fireplace, the tears shimmered on the tips of her fingers.

“This is why I don’t talk about Wes,” she said, and Søren reached for her and pulled her into his arms.

He bent his head and kissed her as his hand crept under the shirt she wore—his shirt—and slipped two fingers into her. She wanted him to make love to her again, but the moment had passed. A true sadist, Søren could only become aroused by inflicting pain and humiliation. So instead it was his probing fingers that penetrated her. He spread his fingers wide within her, slipped in a third and pushed hard up against her pubic bone. Nora’s hips lifted as her inner muscles gripped him. She grew wet at his touch even as the cut on her labia still ached and burned.

“Come for me,” Søren ordered, “and then we’re sleeping.”

“I can hold off having an orgasm for a long time,” she teased. “Anything to keep you awake.”

Søren, as she knew he would, took that as a challenge. He pressed his thumb into her clitoris and made precision circles that left her panting. Still she breathed through the pleasure.

With his free hand, Søren unbuttoned her shirt and bared her breasts. He kissed her nipples and they hardened in his warm mouth. As his lips and tongue made languid circles on her breasts, his fingers continued their gentle onslaught inside her. Nora flinched and clutched at the rug beneath her. Still she didn’t let herself come.

Søren slid his hand behind her neck and forced her to meet his eyes.

“The day we met, you were wearing a black pleated skirt and combat boots,” he said, and Nora knew no matter how hard she fought him, he would win. “You had scrapes on your knees and wore too much eye makeup. And I would have laid you out on the altar, beaten you and taken your virginity in front of God, Christ, all his saints and angels, and the entire church that very day had I one ounce less of self-control. I would have drunk the blood off your thighs, turned you onto your stomach and taken you again, fucking you until you begged me to stop. And do you know what I would have done had you begged me to stop?”

“No, sir,” she breathed, her heart pounding so hard she thought it would burst from her chest.

“I wouldn’t have stopped,” he said and shoved his hand hard into her. Nora cried out; the climax ripped through her stomach and hips as her inner muscles contracted wildly around Søren’s fingers.

She lay underneath him gasping through the orgasm that was so intense her lower back spasmed. After a few minutes her heart slowed and her eyes were able to focus again.

“You cheated.”

“I can’t imagine what you’re referring to,” Søren said, carefully pulling his hand out of her sore opening.

“You brought up the day we met. That’s cheating.”

Søren rolled onto his back and Nora crawled on top of his chest and collapsed against him.

“You’re the one who is going to be sleeping with two young men who are not me this summer, and you accuse me of cheating?”

Nora grinned up at him.

“Jealous?”

“Not even remotely,” he said and she knew it was true. Søren’s certainty in her love for him precluded even the slightest hint of jealousy. He couldn’t care less who she had sex with as long as he owned her. More than not caring, Søren was aroused by the sight and thought of her with other men. He didn’t even mind if she did kink with others as long as no one hurt her—that was his job alone.

“Speaking of jealous, Simone and Robin said they’d happily take my place on the rack this summer while I’m gone.”

“Lovely girls, both of them,” Søren said, smiling. If Nora was going to spend the summer in bed with two other guys, the least she could do for Søren was arrange for him to have access to two of the most beautiful, well-trained and discreet submissives in the Underground. She knew he wouldn’t have sex with them. Sadism was sex for him. So Søren going two months without beating someone would be akin to her going two months without sex—horrifying thought.

“Now I’m afraid this nonsense will have to end. I’m hearing confessions in—” Søren paused and glanced at the clock on the fireplace mantel “—four hours.”

Nora winced.

“Shit, I knew there was something I was supposed to do before I left. Will you have time for me before I leave tomorrow morning?” she asked. She’d meant to go to confession during the past week but had completely forgotten. Wasn’t her fault. She blamed her editor Zach—the other sadist in her life—for sending her fifty pages to revise in two days.

“I can hear it now if you like.”

Sitting up, Nora buttoned Søren’s shirt over her breasts. Søren rolled up and faced her. And although he too wore his black pants and nothing else, the minute he met her eyes, she knew her lover had gone, and she now sat in the presence of her priest alone.

Nora took a deep breath and began.

“God have mercy on me, a sinner.”

“‘Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs on your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.’”

Nora smiled. Luke chapter twelve, verses six and seven—one of her favorite passages.

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been …”

“Eight days,” Søren supplied.

“Eight days since my last confession. Let’s see … where to start?”

“Pace yourself, Eleanor. If you forget something, I will remind you.”

“Oh, thank you very much, Father. You are too kind. I have done some serious lusting this week.”

“Per usual.”

“I lied in a phone interview. Not the first time for that, either. They wanted to know summer plans and I said I’d probably be overseas working on a new book. Let’s see … what else? Oh, I got a big fat royalty check and I didn’t give a damn bit of it to charity.”

“To whom much is given, much is required,” Søren reminded her. God knew he certainly had room to talk.

“I know,” Nora said and sighed. She did know. She just needed a refresher of that every now and then. “Does the church need anything?”

“Owen’s parents have suffered financially this year. Not terribly but they may have to put him into public school.”

“Public school? That little guy will get eaten alive in public school. He loves St. Xavier.”

“St. Xavier is not inexpensive.”

“Will five cover it?”

“Yes, and then some.”

Nora nodded. Not that long ago she could make 5K in a few hours topping someone. Surely Owen deserved as much kindness as her clients received of her cruelty.

“I’ll leave a check on the kitchen table tomorrow morning. Don’t tell them it’s from me.”

“Of course not. Anything else?”

“Well, I did do blood-play with a priest this evening, after which came much fucking.”