“I’m not a whore,” Annais protested.  Had she known that the priest had invited her back her to lecture her, she would have just gone home.  Had she known she’d be tied up in the backroom of the church by that same priest, she’d really have to stop to reevaluate her life and all the decisions that led her here.

She wasn’t sure why she stepped foot in his church in the first place.  She hadn’t gone since she was a girl.  There were plenty of other places she could have waited out the storm, but something tugged her in.  Maybe it was divine intervention, maybe curiosity.  Whatever the case, she half-expected to be struck down by lightning.  She certainly didn’t expect the priest to be so devastatingly attractive.  Her first thought upon looking at the pulpit was that it was a pity a man like that dedicated his life to religion.  How unfair was it for God to create such a perfect specimen, then keep him for himself?

'Sweating like a whore in church' was an apt metaphor; that’s exactly how she felt as the priest's eyes lingered on her during his sermon.  At first, she figured he was staring her down because she was an unfamiliar face.  Even as she sat on the back pew, she stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the bland, monochrome congregation.  Modesty was never exactly a virtue of hers.  She felt indecent in her soaked clothes.  She knew now there was something more perverse to his gaze.

“The way you present yourself is not unlike one,” Father Piers said, eyeing the body that was dressed more like a visit to a club than a church.  She didn’t have much else to wear.  “Only the Lord knows the true intent of your heart, but I have a pretty good idea.”  He gripped her chin.  Fire and brimstone burned in that stare of his, setting something aflame deep within her. “I’ve witnessed the lust in your eyes. I’m impressed you didn’t leave another puddle on the pew today.”

Just the sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine.  It was that same voice that got her into trouble in the first place. Despite slipping out during the closing prayer her first time around, she found herself coming back for the next week's evening service to hear him speak again.  Though the messages may have been lost on her, this continued for a few weeks.  Today, she had been unlucky enough to be trapped.  The prayer did not last nearly as long as she anticipated, giving her no time to slink out like she had been doing.  However, it did give the priest ample opportunity to introduce himself.

Being so young, so attractive, and so religious should have been a red flag.  No sane man would spend his mid-twenties doing this kind of thing. A man like him could’ve done anything he wanted.  She should have declined his offer to chat and get to know each other, but he was so polite… And so, so much cuter up close and personal.  

He lured her in with friendly conversation and won her over with his silver tongue.  He seemed entranced by her name, asking what it stood for. He chuckled darkly when she announced Annais meant ‘Pure and Holy.’ She stared at his hands, noting the lack of ring.  The robes left much to the imagination, but it was apparent that a thin, lithe frame was covered by them.  How was she to know beneath these sheep’s clothing was a wolf?  How could she have ever guessed that he would offer her his hands, just to hold onto hers and tie them behind her back?  Maybe she did have less than pure intentions for following him initially, and that was why she was so easily outwitted.  If thinking of him made her a whore, so be it.

“What if I am a whore, Father?  Do I not still deserve mercy?” Annais boldly asked, causing Piers to raise a brow.  “Even if I am, who are you to judge me?  Pretty sure only your Lord can do that.  Even he rubbed elbows with whores.  It’s been a while since bible school, but if I recall, he was real friendly with prostitutes.”

Piers moved swiftly, causing Annais to flinch.  She braced herself for the impact of the back of his hand against her cheek, but it never came.  She slowly opened one eye, then the other as she saw him reaching for one of the candles that lit the room.  He picked it up, holding his hand beneath it to prevent it from getting onto the aged hardwood.  

He held the tapered candle above her.  Her eyes widened as she realized what he intended to do, and she could not look away as he tilted it.  She chewed the inside of her lip as the (perhaps) unintentionally erotic scene unfolded.  Annais’s chest heaved as the wax dripped onto it, leaving hardened trails as it cooled against her bare skin.  It burned, but not as unpleasantly as he probably intended.

“Hot?”

A defiant glare was her only response to him.  

“Get used to it,” Piers told her.  He allowed a bit more to wax to cascade onto her chest, coating her breasts and trailing into the valley between them.  He sat it safely back into the candelabra and leaned right into her face, gripping her hair as he spoke to her.  “You’ll be burnin’ in hell one of these days if you don’t change your ways.”

“And you don’t plan on joining me, Father?” asked Annais.  “I’m supposed to believe you’re free from sin?  The Kinky Priest who has me bound as he drips scalding wax onto my breasts?”

“You’re enjoyin’ your punishment,” he tutted, ignoring her question.  Fists gripped her blouse and ripped it open; buttons flew asunder as he did. He removed her tits from the cups of her bra and his forefinger flicked one of her hardened nipples.  She squeezed her eyes shut, trying as hard as she could to will away the jolts of pleasure that shot to her core.  Callused thumbs brushed over the peaked tips before pinching them and causing her to tense up.  “The scorch of infernal heat must feel like home to you.”

“You’re going to a deeper layer of hell than me,” she snapped back through gritted teeth.  “My only sin was finding you attractive.”

“… As was mine.”

Annais’s face paled. She furrowed her brows.  If this is his idea of courting, it was certainly a strange one.  As if a switch had been flipped, he fixed her bra while shaking his head.  

“From the moment you stepped foot in this house of the Lord weeks ago, I’ve prayed for your soul.  You’re such a beauty, a true testament of what the Lord is capable of.  I believe you can be saved,” he admitted, stroking her chin.  “If I take you as my wife, you can repent of your whorish ways. You can have what you lust after so ardently.  We can end this before you lead me down the path of temptation like the imp you are. After all, even a man of faith is still just a man.”

She took solace in the fact that he seemed to be in worst shape than her.  It was obvious that he was tortured and conflicted by how he felt towards her.  He’d fallen for her.  The devil used her to entice him.  Though she didn’t act on it, the temptation alone made her a whore in his eyes.  She wondered if she plagued his thoughts as much as he plagued hers, or if he had begged and prayed to his God that she’d return each week.

“What makes you think I want to be your wife after all this?” she said, hoping her voice wasn’t wavering enough to render her words useless.  Despite it all, she didn’t want to bend so easily.  “Surely, I’m going to be damned eternally.  Why damn myself with you before my time?”

Piers reached behind her, unbinding her wrists.  He took her hand and placed it to his robes, allowing her to feel what lie beneath.

“O…Oh…”

She tried to envision it based off touch alone.  Whatever it looked like, the size was enough to make her reconsider her stance on settling down.

“As you said,” Piers continued with a sigh, pressing her palm against his clothed erection more firmly. “Even our Savior had mercy on whores such as yourself.  I do not believe I am above my Lord.”

Annais had run out of witty quips.  Her focus was set on not proving him right.  She tried not to think about the delicious prick with which he was enticing her. She tried not to stroke it, caress it, or do anything that would work against her and have him claiming she seduced him should things go further.  He was a priest, and she was just a strange, promiscuous-looking foreigner.  His word would trump hers, so she had to resist to at least maintain her dignity if she couldn’t maintain anything else.

“The Lord works in mysterious ways.  I do not yet know your circumstances, but I believe he brought you to me.  He sent you to me so I can look after you…  And so, I will love you,” Piers promised.  “Just as our Father loves us.”

Annais scoffed, looking away from his direction.  The words he was speaking now didn’t align with his actions from before.  “You’re being awfully biblical for someone who just wants to sleep with me.”

“You’re assumin’ the worst of me,” he said, taking her hand into his.  He placed his lips on her knuckles.  “I want more out of you than your body…  I believe, despite your act, you want the same from me.  We can make this official as soon as you say the word…”

Thoughts swirled in Annais’s brain.  She didn’t come in here expecting leave married.  But she wanted to have sex with him so bad, and he seemed to want her just as much.  Piers seemed to sense she needed convincing and reached beneath her skirt.  The pads of his fingers traced her through the lace of her panties.  A shaky breath breezed past her lips.

“Shh…”

He leaned forward and placed his lips on her cheek.  He was far more talented with his fingers than one would expect from a man of faith. He was turning her on without even touching her directly.

“What do you say?  The sooner we marry, the sooner we can consummate…”

She tried to act indifferent to what he was doing to her, but she knew he could feel her body’s natural reaction.

“… I… I assume we’d just have sex for the sole purpose of procreation?” she half-joked.  “Where’s the fun in that?”

“Somethin’ tells me you wouldn’t be opposed to it,” he said, continuing to stroke her folds.  “You’re a strong girl; you wouldn’t be in this situation if you didn’t want to be.  You want to be at my mercy.  You want to serve me, to submit to me.  If you bear my children in the process, so be it.”

Annais’s knees buckled at this.  He was absolutely right.  As much as it pained her to admit it, she wanted to be his.  With a smirk, he withdrew his fingers from between her thighs.

“No further.”

She whined pathetically. She had been so very close, only for him to stop.  She should’ve known he wouldn’t go all the way.  Still, it was unfair!  Getting her so close to the brink had to be some kind of sin on its own.

“Only your husband should touch you that way.”  Piers sighed, brushing his fingers on her skirt.  “You said you weren’t a whore.  I respect that.  I won’t be the one who turns you into one.”

“Then marry me!” she exclaimed in a fit of frustration.  “I’ll be your wife!  I do!”

“Very well.  As soon as we make it official, my love, we will continue this.”  He leaned in, brushing his lips against her cheek again.  “Don’t defile yourself before then.  Save yourself for me.  I’ll know if you don’t.”