Absolve Me Page 3

  Dominic’s hands snaked beneath the hem of her skirt, reaching for her panties, and Liza raised her head. “Condoms,” she managed. “Drawer.”

  “Okay.” He shifted off her long enough to reach for a foil packet, while Liza seized the opportunity to pull apart his shirt front and shove it down his broad shoulders.

  “Let me,” she breathed while he struggled to manage his half-off shirt and the condom at once. Liza snatched the packet from his hand and slid out the condom, then reached up to get his full attention. “Green light?”

  “Please.” Ragged and deep, his voice sent a shot of pure lust zinging down her spine, but before she could decide whether that crossed a professional line, he was up on his knees in front of her, peeling his shirt off with his denim-covered cock in front of her face.

  She grasped the condom gently between her teeth and tugged at Dominic’s zipper, eliciting another groan. Slowly she exposed him, sliding his pants and boxer briefs down in a smooth motion. This close, his cock was a sight to behold—thick and well veined, straining for her touch.

  “Deep breaths,” she instructed, and met his eyes long enough to make sure he was with her. Dominic managed a nod, and carefully, considerately, she sheathed him, using both hands to roll the condom down to his base.

  His hands gripped her upper arms, his eyelids slamming shut as he threw back his head. “Oh, yeah,” he panted. “Let me...” He shoved Liza beneath him on the bed, hauling up her skirt and ripping at her underwear.

  His fingers played through her folds, testing her wetness. Shuddering with pleasure, she spread her legs wider around him, lifting her hips to his in invitation. That was all it took. With a guttural curse that she couldn’t make out, Dominic grasped his cock, positioned himself and thrust in, hard.

  Liza stifled a moan, stifling her own instinctive response to his thick cock, intending to suggest that Dominic pause a moment to check in.

  But like a horse with the bit in his teeth, Dominic was off to the races, digging his knees into the mattress for traction and flexing his glutes, grinding into her pelvis before withdrawing in order to slam back in.

  Okay then, Liza thought dazedly. Guess I’ll just hang on for the ride.

  And what a ride. Years of self-enforced celibacy hadn’t crimped Dominic’s ability, just his finesse. With a dazed expression, his breathing harsh and ragged, he pushed himself inside her, over and over, finding a rhythm that seemed to please him, if his groans were anything to judge by.

  She ran her hands over his shoulders, his biceps, murmuring encouragement, but he was lost to her, his body working over hers with a singular focus. Liza let her own eyes drift closed, her muscles relaxed, pliant. At this angle, pinned beneath Dominic’s body, the penetration of his cock wasn’t enough to drive her toward orgasm, but there was pleasure in the drag and slide of him inside her, the masculine scent of his sweat flooding her senses. She opened her eyes to watch his handsome face—the sheer concentration of a man focused on a goal always gave her a thrill. She shifted her hips, pulling her legs wider beneath him, and they both moaned, Dominic thrusting ever more urgently. Liza felt the muscles of her belly ripple under the onslaught, and it was so damn good. She’d had long-term boyfriends who didn’t fuck this well, and here she was beneath a stranger—a client—half hoping it would never end.

  It wasn’t long before his breathing changed, his muscles tensing even more tightly. Reading his cues, she whispered, “Come on,” and with a sharp cry, Dominic jerked against her, burying his head in her shoulder as he came.

  Liza continued to stroke him, and he pressed against her, his cock twitching. She shifted her weight to rub her calf down his leg. He groaned, and she smiled, playing her fingers through his hair.

  When his breathing began to steady, he lifted his head, and Liza saw concern on his face. “You okay?”

  Dominic shook his head, reaching between them to steady the condom, withdrawing and disposing of it in the wastebasket. “I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely as he came back over her. “I didn’t... I mean, you didn’t—”

  She laughed, pressing a finger to his lips. “That’s—”

  “No,” he insisted, pulling back to slide down her body. “Let me...”

  The rest of what he might have said was lost. He used his long-fingered hands to prop her thighs apart, lowering his mouth between her legs and swiping up her wet slit with his tongue. Holy hell. Her still-aroused pussy clenched hard, and a sharp jolt of electric heat sizzled all the way down to her toes.

  Liza shot up, grabbing at his head. “Dominic, you don’t... It’s all right—”

  He shook his head again, meeting her eyes with the glaze of his orgasm still evident. “Let me make this good for you,” he entreated, and sucked her throbbing clit into his mouth so hard it made her legs shake.

  Fuck fuck fuck. She should stop him; he didn’t owe her an orgasm, but just then he lightly grazed her clit with his teeth and the only noise she could muster sounded suspiciously like a mewl to her ears. She grabbed his head, digging her fingertips into his scalp, but couldn’t make herself force him away from where he was working his mouth.

  “There, oh, there,” she heard herself moan, and gave up all pretense of holding herself aloof from the sensation flooding her. She let her head loll back on the bed and just felt.

  The slick of his tongue swiping her clit over and over had her gasping in no time, and when he shifted, bringing his fingers into play, she cried out and thrust her hips up, begging without words for more.

  Dominic obliged, thrusting deeply inside her while he latched on to her clit and sucked in rhythmic pulls that shoved her right over the edge.

  The orgasm hit her like a ton of bricks—fast, brutal and so fucking wonderful that Liza never wanted it to end. Seizing his hair in her fingers, she rode out the spasms, grinding her pussy hard into Dominic’s willing mouth while she shook and cried out. Her body was on fire and she wouldn’t have quenched the flames for anything.

  She came down gradually, centering herself bit by bit. Her gasping breaths ebbed. Dominic slowly petted between her legs as she relaxed.

  “Was that all right?” he asked, and a huge amount lay unspoken in that question. Liza let her pleasure show in her lazy grin, and he smiled in return, kissing her inner thigh before pushing up to sit with his feet on the floor.

  Dominic began to search for his clothes, and Liza sat up, uneasiness settling in her stomach.

  Holy holy holy shit. What have I done?

  Chapter Three

  “I let a client get me off,” she confessed to Angie on the phone the next day.

  “You what?”

  Liza sighed. “I should have stopped him, but I didn’t. It’s so freaking unprofessional.”

  She could almost hear Angie’s frown over the phone. “Did he want to?”

  Bella must have been nearby, because Liza could hear her in the background. “Did who want to what? What did Auntie Liza do?”

  Liza cringed, but Angie was a smooth operator. “She’s volunteering as a math tutor.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Why don’t you head out back and I’ll join you as soon as I’m off the phone, ‘kay?”

  “Okay! Bye, Auntie Liza!”

  Liza blew out a breath and spoke loudly into the receiver. “Bye, kiddo.”

  Angie chuckled. “She’s gone. But seriously, why is it unprofessional if you come, too? I don’t get that.”

  She ran a hand through her hair. “It’s not, per se, but...dammit, I let it be all about me, even just for a few minutes. That’s not what I’m there for.”

  “Is he at least hot?”

  “Angie! You know looks have no bearing on how I work with clients. It’s the least important thing about them. I’d never judge—”

  “I knew it! He’s hot. An
d you let a hot client get you off. Go, girl.”

  Liza almost growled. “You’re not helping.”

  “I’m sorry, baby, but I’m not seeing a problem here. Would you have been able to come if you really didn’t want to, or if you thought it would be bad for your client?”

  That stopped her short. “No. No, I guess not.”

  “There you have it,” Angie said. “If he wanted it and you wanted it and it didn’t hurt anyone...well, it sounds like a total bonus to me.”

  She considered it for a long moment, twirling a pen through her fingers as she thought. “Yeah. I suppose it could be worse.” Dominic had been quiet as they’d dressed and Liza had walked him to her door. She’d asked him to reflect on that session so they could discuss it at their next meeting, and he’d agreed, his “Thank you” solemn but sincere.

  “Could be worse? I can’t remember the last time someone other than me brought the big bang, so to speak. If you enjoyed it, own it, girl.”

  Hell yeah, she’d enjoyed it. And that was why she felt so guilty. “I shouldn’t be getting my rocks off with clients. Of course I’m allowed to take pleasure in my work, but I can’t rely on sessions for my own needs.”

  Angie snorted. “Then you need to get out there, Liza my love. Time for you to spend some time playing in the real world.”

  “I know, I know, it’s just—”

  “Bella,” Angie said suddenly. “I just heard a scream.”

  Even as her friend was dropping the phone, Liza said, “Go!” She kept her ear pressed to her phone, hearing Angie’s clatter to the ground. A door slammed, then nothing for what seemed like an eternity. Please, please, please, she chanted in her head.

  Then she could hear crying, and frantic footsteps, and she held her breath until Angie’s voice came back on the line, high-pitched and afraid. “I think Bella’s broken her arm trying to climb the tree. We’re going to the ER.”

  “I’ll meet you there.” Liza hung up, grabbed her purse and keys and ran to her car. It didn’t even occur to her until she was swinging away from the curb to check her appointments for the remainder of the afternoon. That could wait. Her Bells was hurt, and nothing else was going to matter until Liza knew the little girl was under a doctor’s care.

  As she fought her way through Nola traffic, Liza tried to stay calm, but her stomach clenched and her chest felt tight. It’s just a broken arm, she tried to tell herself, but memories of the pain and shock from her own broken wrist as a child weren’t helping. Hang on, kiddo.

  By the time she found a parking spot, the adrenaline was starting to fade, but she still felt a pit lodged in her gut. Racing into the ER, she cast around for her best friend, finally spotting Angie in conversation with a scrubs-clad nurse, who nodded as he spoke. “Ange. How is she?”

  Angie turned to her with a tear-streaked face. “Liza! It’s broken, but not as bad as it could be. She won’t need surgery, just a cast.” She gripped Liza’s hands. “God, I was so scared when I heard her scream. I never should have sent her out back without me!”

  Liza drew Angie into a hard hug. “Jesus, Ange, you can’t watch her every second. And hey, a broken arm from climbing a tree is pretty much a rite of passage. She’s okay. She’s going to be fine.”

  Angie nodded against her shoulder, but Liza could feel her sobs of mixed pain and relief. They stood clinging to one another for a long minute, and then the nurse cleared his throat.

  “Ma’am, I can take you back to stay with her while we wait for the final X-rays. Are you a relative as well?” This last was directed at Liza, and as much as she wanted to claim a blood connection, she shook her head.

  “I can wait. Why don’t I get us some sandwiches and coffee? I’ll be right out here whenever you need me.”

  Angie sniffled. “Thank you so much, honey. It means so much to me that you’re here, and Bella will love knowing that you rushed down here just for her.” She allowed the nurse to guide her off down the hall.

  Liza’s nerves were too jangled for coffee, but food sounded like a good idea, so she scanned the signs above her head and set off in the direction of the hospital cafeteria. She wove her way between hospital staff moving with purpose and families shuffling around in confusion, taking an escalator up two levels to the large canteen.

  Juggling two sandwiches, a hot coffee, and a cold iced tea, Liza found the line for the cashier and settled in behind a couple of harried women with five young kids between them, bickering and complaining as small children did. Liza let her gaze and her mind wander, making a mental note to keep half an eye on the clock. According to the calendar on her phone, she had a single session scheduled for the evening; with luck, she wouldn’t have to cancel at the last minute.

  She scanned the room, her eyes landing on a table where a family was gathered in a tight knot, deep in conversation with a man clad all in black—a priest, she realized, catching a glimpse of the white clerical collar at his throat. Liza felt a pang of sadness for the family, who was likely losing someone they loved, if the priest’s presence was any indication.

  Liza reached the front of the line and paid for her purchases, pausing to rearrange them to take back down to Angie. At the same time, the family talking with the priest began to rise. They gathered their belongings and the priest himself stood and turned, catching Liza’s eye.

  Holy. Holy. Shit.

  It was Dominic La Sera, his somber eyes widening in startled recognition.

  Liza felt as though she’d been punched in the stomach. She barely managed not to drop Angie’s coffee, but the sandwiches tumbled to the ground, along with her bottle of iced tea.

  “Shit.” She dropped to her knees, fumbling for the escaped goods. Before she could gather everything and beat a hasty retreat, shiny black dress shoes covered by black slacks entered her field of vision, and when she glanced up, Dominic had crouched down in front of her. His pupils were wide and his lips twisted together. His skin was bloodless beneath the harsh fluorescent lights.

  “Liza—”

  “No!” she whispered. “Not now.” Snatching up the errant tea bottle, she straightened up, turning on her heel and escaping before she blurted out something inappropriate in public.

  But she was going to have a hell of a meltdown just as soon as she was alone.

  Liza flew down the escalator, determined to drop off the food and coffee and make her excuses. She blinked back angry tears and fought to keep her expression as neutral as possible. But a single thought pounded through her head until it was the only thing she could hear.

  I fucked a priest. I fucked a priest. I fucked a priest.

  Chapter Four

  Dear Susan,

  He’s a PRIEST?!? He’s a PRIEST. Tell me you didn’t know, either. PLEASE tell me you didn’t know.

  —Liza

  After a wasted night with little sleep, Liza dragged herself out the front door with her keys, phone and earbuds for a hard run to try to clear her head. Normally running was sort of a Zen practice for her—the repetitive rhythm of her feet striking the ground, her breathing full and measured. But not today. Today her strides failed to drown out the relentless chanting in her mind. Priest. He’s a priest. I had sex with a priest. I let a priest make me come, for fuck’s sake.

  And she’d really, really liked it.

  Grimacing, Liza stepped up her pace until she sprinted through the park, trees flying past at a pace she wouldn’t be able to maintain for long. But the ache in her lungs and the screaming muscles in her legs were nothing compared to the mad rush of conflicting emotion that had churned inside her since she’d made her excuses to Angie and Bells and fled the hospital.

  She still couldn’t decide what she was more distraught over—the idea that Dominic was a hand-to-God Catholic priest, or the fact that he’d concealed that incredibly important detail from her a
fter all her emphasis on trust as a foundation of their professional relationship.

  It didn’t help one bit that she’d spent the entire night fighting disturbing dreams, ripe with religious imagery and a very hot, very naked, faceless man who begged her to do sweet and dirty things to him on an altar. Thanks, subconscious, she’d thought when her alarm had blared. You don’t do subtle, do you?

  Liza was torn. She was angry, true—professionally and personally. As it stood now, she was prepared to tell Dominic that she was unwilling to pursue further sessions in the wake of their surprise encounter at the hospital.

  But there had been something in his eyes...guilt, yes, but also a kind of desperation that had wormed its way inside her and piqued her already sharp curiosity. What the ever-loving fuck was a priest doing seeking sex therapy? If she wasn’t mistaken, Catholic priests were still on the celibacy train, so what could have driven Dominic to break his vow in such a fashion?

  She had to admit that a few things had fallen into place. His decision to seek a professional, for one, rather than just pick up a random woman in a bar. He likely didn’t want to risk the possibility of being recognized.

  And it sure as hell explained the celibacy. Ha! She’d been noodling that one in the back of her mind since their first meeting; the man was effortlessly sexy and hadn’t had any performance problems. The idea that he’d been avoiding sex had had her concerned that he’d suffered a terrible and abiding trauma. Hell, it was sort of a guilty relief to find that he was just breaking a core tenet of his faith in order to understand his own sexuality and how it affected him as a man.

  Liza sighed, slowing her pace to a more sedate jog, feeling the lack of rest and frustration as a bone-deep weariness. She slid out her earbuds just in time to feel the vibrating ring of her phone. Susan Cooper, read the display, and she veered toward a nearby bench, scrubbing the sweat from her face with the end of her sleeve and drawing a few fast lungsful of air to steady herself. “Susan, thanks for calling.”