Sacred Selfies

Instead of passing by as Wren walked back to her Airbnb, she wandered around the property of the church her mom still went to. Joint in hand, wondering if That priest had started her priest kink. Wondering if he was inside there tonight.

*******

Wren grew up in the church. Not super religious but her family went every Sunday and had the old priest over for dinners, he had been a friend of her grandparents. When she was in high school a new priest came in to support the aging Father. He brought new energy into the congregation. His homilies were thoughtful and his voice flowed with a honeyed heaviness. He was hot but they weren't supposed to mention that. He was one of the perks of coming home for Christmas in her 20s.

Over the years the looks he gave her changed. Wren changed. His lips quirked when she started showing up with a shaved head and patch covered jean jacket or the dark look in his eye the year she showed up with a girlfriend and wouldn't stop touching her thigh.

Wren wondered what his mouth looked like all these years later. She meant to loop through and keep heading home. Instead she traced the stone work with a finger and tried to remember which stained glass window had been her favourite growing up. The glass spectacles looked different in the moonlight. There was one with an angel that was alive in the darkness and Wren couldn't resist pulling up her top to catch the angel "staring" at her tits.

When Wren checked the photo she cackled. She clapped her hands over her mouth reminding herself that weed made her loud and looked around. She was still alone. The moon was like a spotlight on Wren's very white tits. If she tweaked the angle maybe she could get some of the glass colours reflecting on her as well. The silliness and little thrill of transgression propelled her. All the elements were there. She needed to get an actual good version of the photo.

Wren set up the timer and built a mini stand with her water bottle and a loose brick from a planter. A quick test shot to make sure she was getting the window and the silly sight lines and the moody lighting and the touch of colour. She pulled her boobs out and set the timer. And then did a few more rounds. Bolder poses. One with the smoke from a big toke. Offering up her tits to the fragile angel.

"Don't you think he's seen enough?"

The joint dropped from her lips. She grabbed the wall. She nearly buckled. The strikingly smooth voice was immediately recognizable. Wren nearly tripped over herself as she tried to adjust her top, head swivelling trying to find him in the darkness.

He straightened up from the tree he'd been leaning against for god knows how long.

Getting her boobs and bra and shirt in place gave her an excuse to look away and center herself. Set her face. Play this cool. Laugh it off. She wasn't a kid. Apparently getting settled had dragged on and when she looked up The Priest was walking towards her. More solid and imposing than she'd remembered. The laugh died in her throat. She gulped down the cool night air.

Wren's eyes slammed into her phone an instant after his did. She raced forward but it was already in his hand. The screen's glow lighting up his more salt than pepper beard, that crook in his mouth, and his dark eyes as she skidded to a stop in front of him.

"Hey Father, sorry about this. Let me get that back and I'll get out of here. I didn't realize anyone was here this late." She grabbed for the phone and he jerked it out of her reach.

"Someone is always watching here." His eyes traced over her face. He dropped his stare down to her chest. Wren smirked and his eyes shot back up. "Are you really sorry?"

"W-wh- what?" she stuttered. There was something about his voice tonight that made it hard to breathe.

"You said, 'Father, I'm sorry'" he mimicked "and then tried to disappear. You should know better, that's not how we handle things here."

She stared at him and tried to process what he was saying while not freaking out that he appeared to be slowly swiping through her phone.

"I don't, what...confession? Is that what you're talking about? Please just give me my phone back! I'll get out of here. I shouldn't have disrespe..." He held up a finger to her lips, cutting off her words, pausing a breath away from touching her. Somehow that made the electricity crackling off his digit sharper.

"At least the weed didn't get to your brain that badly" he chuckled, sneering at the still smoking roach where it had fallen. "Yes. Confession. Save your apologies for confession."

She laughed. His gaze sharpened. Her breath caught

"Let's go. Judging by what I've just seen, I think this might take a while."

He held eye contact as he slipped her phone into his pocket. And held it a moment more. He turned and walked towards the side door. He pulled it open and waited.

"Now" One word and it shook her out of her paralysis.

Wren stumbled on her first step towards him. Calmed herself and kept moving. She watched her shoes pass his and cross the threshold into the church. Wren couldn't look at him. How had she let this get so out of control? The door clicked behind her and The Priest brushed past her heading across the aisle towards the confessional. Wren was distracted a moment catching the way the tabernacle glowed in the massive dark space. The low moon stretching the colours from the stained glass across the pews. Wren was drawn back to him when she noticed him dip and offer what appeared to be an earnest prayer in front of the red light.

He rose and they stood there watching each other. They both knew Wren could leave now and break this spell. She was just steps from the door. Wren turned to look at it and could have sworn she heard a low growl from behind her. She certainly felt one reverberate through her stomach. Decision made, she walked towards him and dipped to genuflect as she got to the tabernacle. Never taking her eyes off of him. Summoned.

She followed him to the confessional and again he held the door open for her. Watching her as she settled on the seat and looked up at him, shivering under his calculating look. Wren was pretty sure confessionals don't lock but she was frozen in place, on the outside at least. Inside the lightning slashed at her guts.

There was no rustling when he slid into his side. Each of his movements seemed so sure and practiced. The screen slid open.

"Much better" he chuckled coldly "Here is where you can tell me and God about your disrespect. About your apologies. About why you chose my church to put on your slutty little show."

She gasped. He chuckled quietly and said nothing. He waited.

"I said I was sorry! Please! I shouldn't have.."

"Eh eh eh. Start properly. I was kind enough to bring you to a beautiful place for absolution. The least you can do is respect the ritual...although I think lack of respect is the problem at hand isn't it? It always was from what I remember."

Wren squeezed her thighs together. She dredged her brain for the words she'd last said at her confirmation. She swore she could hear him tapping his fingers on her phone. Wren wondered what his mouth looked like while he waited. She tried to look through the screen and see his lips. What she hoped were the right words dragged herselves up through the haze.

"Uh for-orgive me Father, for I have s-sinned. It's been 23 years, I think, since my last confession. How was that?" Wren tried to laugh

"Acceptable. This time" There was a roughness in his tone that skittered over her skin.

"Although I probably shouldn't start this with a lie. I don't really think taking adult pictures is a sin, is it? If we believe God created us in Her image, then isn't it fine to worship Her creation? Haha or something like that. But seriously I am sorry you had to catch that, I'm super embarrassed, I should have made more sure that no one was around."

Wren could nearly hear his frown.

"This is hardly the only time you've 'worshiped Her creation' is it?" He made the word worship sound so dirty. She squeezed her thighs together. "Based on a quick scroll through your phone, you like to 'worship' frequently and judging by the edits I'm guessing you encourage others to 'worship' with you. You clearly crave sharing. So now tell me."

Wren couldn't resist.

He pulled out story after exhibitionist story. She caught his growl again when she confessed her youthful fantasizing about him and his power from the pulpit. About how she'd thought of him as the watchful angel she'd just been showing off to. And how telling him that made her flush in a very unrepentant way. His growls were coming through every time Wren confessed how she thought about him.

"Is nothing sacred to you?"

"Maybe it's all sacred."

"Is that what you call the bruises all over your hips from this summer? Sacred? Or the images of your face in the mud under someone's boot? Is that sacred?"

"Offering up my suffering and my pride? Sure, that's sacred! Certainly as sacred as any of the cilices digging into zealous thighs, or the crown of thorns drawing blood from the holy forehead? Haha, was that too bold?" Wren was feeling righteous and devious. Biting her lip. "Did you like my pictures, Father? Did they move you?"

"Fucking slut" The Priest ground out. Making him lose control was thrilling. Wren told him so

Everything was quiet. Her head was spinning. The door of the confessional flew open.

He grabbed her hair and pulled her out and towards the altar. The Priest nearly glowed with the energy radiating off him

He taught her how to pray. To beg on her knees. He made Wren sacred. He ate her flesh and drank her blood. She exploded under his ruthless mouth as he dragged his pocket knife down her sternum. She was something new when he ran his tongue over the rubies that bubbled up. He swallowed her scream and left her bleeding and shaking at the foot of the cross. In a pool of blue moon light.

The angel watched everything.

Now the Priest watched too. He stood off to the side with an altar cloth in his hand. Having cleaned himself up, he looked out over what he had made. Satisfied.

Being under his eyes like this was glorious. Stripped bare.

He came over slowly and knelt beside her, wiping the last drops of blood up with the cloth. He slipped it into his pocket before retreating again. The Priest watched her stretch and groan and slowly get to her feet. His eyes never left Wren while she pulled clothes over skin that still burned. He grinned when she spun around confused, looking for her left Blundstone. When she was standing stable and returning his grin, he moved towards the door. Opened it. And looked at her expectantly. She tried to saunter down the steps. She was sure it looked something like that.

He looked smug when Wren reached him, The Priest leaned in and handed her her phone, whispering;

"I'll send you the proper words so when you sit in confession tomorrow to try this again, you can do it properly."

With his hand on her lower back, he pushed her out the door. He didn't miss the shock on her face as he closed the door in it. Wren's mouth was still hanging open when she heard the lock click into place. She squeezed her thighs together.

*******

My Priest🙏🏻??? Wren looked at the notification with hazy eyes then pressed her face into her pillow and screamed. Last night felt like a fever dream but the tiny scabs along her sternum sang their story under Wren's fingers. He must have added himself as a contact when he had her phone last night. My Priest? Did he want her to be possessive? What the fuck had happened? It had been savage. His worship, something to be endured.

Wren shook her head and opened the text. Her face flushed. A link to the current confessional text and the words;

9pm tonight. Side door. Time for

penance.