“Looking for a good time–father?”
The question echoed in his mind as he glanced at the young woman. She was in her late teens, or at least that is what he chose to believe. Like so many young women, runaways, who ended up in the big city with dreams of becoming an actress; she had turned to prostitution to feed herself.
It had been some time since he had entertained the thought of having sex, and even longer since he had actually been with a woman.
“I don’t have any money,” he said studying her face. She was pretty, maybe even beautiful, he thought to himself? Under the heavy makeup and dark circles around her eyes, probably from drug use, she was beautiful.
“Are you really a priest?”
Nathan thought about that as they stood looking at one another. Yes, he wore the clothes of a priest; had been trained as a priest. And for the past twenty plus years had lived the life of a priest. So much had been sacrificed throughout those years because of one fleeting moment in time, one gut reaction, and one mistake that changed his life forever.
Not so unlike this young woman, he thought to himself, who stood before him propositioning a man dressed as a priest. She had at some point made the decision to leave the life she had behind. And because of that, and for whatever reason, that one decision became her mistake.
Now, here they stood. A woman dressed as a prostitute propositioning a man dressed as a priest and all Nathan could say was.
“Are you really a prostitute?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation, but you could tell she wasn’t proud of it.
“Then I’m a priest,” said Nathan.
As he turned to walk away she reaches out to him brushing his arm with her hand.
“Maybe we can help each other?”
Considering what she was saying Nathan asks, “How?”
Looking up with her head tilted down she slides her index finger into her mouth, then slowly pulls it out with her full lips wrapped tightly around her finger.
“I can do something for you if you will do something for me?”
For the first time Nathan can see the street smart prostitute side of this young woman. She has made her target and will use her assets, her only assets, to reel him in. The shy innocent young woman with hopes and dreams of becoming a famous actress and owning this town had been replaced by the homeless junkie turned to prostitution to support her habit.
Just as he had come to New Eden twenty years ago with the prospect of saving souls and had his hopes dashed when the only souls he was saving didn’t deserve to be saved in his opinion. And here he was faced again with yet another soul that needed saving; yet another soul that had made her own bed and should have to lie in it, or…buried with it.
So, why shouldn’t he get something out of it for a change? After all, once he took off the clothes that made him a priest wasn’t just the man left? He had given so much without expectation since becoming a priest. And they had all accepted without offering restitution. This time was different; this time the restitution was coming in anticipation of his help. No matter what she wanted of him he would accept her offer first.
“Ok!” He said…spoken simply and direct without even a hint of regret in his voice. “Where do we go from here?”
“I have a room in this building.” She says looking behind her.
She reaches for Nathan’s hand and leads him into the building. There had been a slight breeze outside making the night air cool and bearable, but there was no breeze inside this building. No air conditioning, no fans, not even an open window. This building, like so many older buildings in the big city, had that dank feel and musky smell; like mold, urine and rat feces all mixed in some gruesome concoction and sprayed on the walls and floors. There was no elevator, of course, and the stairs creaked and moaned with every step.
As they made their way toward the fifth floor Nathan began to wonder about his decision. After all, what sort of woman would proposition a priest in the first place? This woman, this whore had a lot of nerve to approach him during this most vulnerable time in his life.
He had been struggling with being a priest for some time and this day had been particularly difficult. When he ran out into the night to get away he never imagined it would end up like this. As a matter of fact he could barely remember the confrontation that had caused his hurried exit.
Purging that thought from his mind he again focused on the young lady leading him up the stairs. She had managed to get a few steps ahead of him and for the first time he turned his attention to her body. The short tight red dress she wore hid very little of her shapely figure. Her long legs were very toned like that of a gymnast or runner. A firm tight ass filled out the back of the dress; with no panty lines he imagined she was wearing a thong or no panties at all. Strong shoulders and toned arms led him to believe she had been an athlete.
In his younger days, before he became a priest, even before he became… became what lead him to the priesthood; he had liked that kind of woman. He himself had been an athlete. In high school and college he had had his pick of women, mostly cheerleaders or high society types; always beautiful–always built.
She fumbled for her keys in the little clutch purse she carried with her. Nathan wondered why she even bothered to lock the door. It was weak, cracked in several places, and wouldn’t take too much effort to break down if someone really wanted to.
She opened the door to her apartment, if it was even hers. He presumed it belonged to her pimp or dealer and was used by several girls on any given night. It was a small corner apartment. The kitchen was a single counter along the side facing the alley. The living area faced the street and had a fold out couch and a double window that looked down on the street. The opposite wall had a bathroom with a sink, toilet and shower. The hardwood floors were scratched and worn with small dirty throw rugs of various shapes and sizes scattered about the floor like giant pieces of confetti leftover from some long forgotten celebration. Other than the fold out couch the compact apartment was completely absent of furniture. No table to eat at, no chairs to sit in, and no television to watch. It was clear this space had a singular purpose.
“Make yourself comfortable–father,” she said in an innocent childlike voice Nathan imagined turned most of her clients on. That, coupled with her youthful appearance gave the illusion of an under age girl. As he studied her closer he thought this may not be an illusion at all. He would put that thought out of his mind. An agreement had been made. There would be an exchange. She would give herself freely to him and in return he would help her–with–something.
“But what?” Nathan thought to himself. He hadn’t considered what her request might be. At this point it didn’t matter. After what he had been through today not much of anything mattered to him anymore.
Nathan made his way over to the bed and sat at the foot facing the young woman. She had just turned off the light and was moving slowly toward him unbuttoning her top with every step. He would get what he came for, and then honor her request. As her top hit the floor, and her knee rested on the bed, she leaned forward and whispered in Nathan’s ear “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned”…
