I
The first time Johnnie met Shula was the day he went to the Yorkshire office to look over his late thirties with strong aquiline features. He'd seen life as a cattle drover in the wilds of Mexico for a couple of years and never let you forget it. One of the great survivors of this world. His name was James and he had a blonde secretary called Shula. Their relationship was a constant topic amongst his staff who would invent what they didn't know. Shula was a single career woman in her early thirties and worked hard to give the impression of sophistication, professionalism and efficiency. When there was a bit of a panic on, this veneer slipped and a worried confusion took over. She had a caustic tongue when the mood took her and could be very belligerent at times, particularly to the other secretaries; she swore at them a lot. Shula protected her boss from unwanted visitors or phone calls with firmness; it often took a long explanation before you could get past the desk in her office into the inner office. She bowed to his every whim, filled his car with petrol and bought his cigars. She reminded him of birthdays and anniversaries and laughed at his jokes. Since Johnnie was a personal friend of James and not responsible to him, he enjoyed a less formal relationship with Shula and, when on their own, he could pull her leg and share silly rude stories, which made her giggle. She also kept him up to date with company scandal and the latest gossip about the scandals amongst the staff - of which his new accommodation. The boss there was the Sales Director; a tall aggressive chap in there were several. On those occasions she was just a giddy blonde passing on gossip with a silly giggle. They got on well.
Shula was not a conventionally pretty woman. Her sensible blonde hair-do, normally carefully arranged, had a habit of becoming slightly dishevelled when she was in a panic - her mood was often to be judged by the state of her hair - and she had pale blue eyes. A slightly twisted and upturned snub nose with a somewhat protruding lower jaw gave her a pugnacious, almost bull-dog look. Shula always dressed smartly and wore perfume with an expensive tang to it. Her figure was that of a young boy, really, with few discernible curves. She was about five feet seven inches tall. To compensate for her lack of traditional femininity, she had developed a forceful personality with men, sharing jokes with them when appropriate and drinking halves of best mild beer. She had no boy friend that anyone knew of and no admirers that anyone had noticed; she just wasn't that sort of person. Real ladies didn't swear in front of men, but Shula did. Often! She was just one of the lads, in spite of her sophistication. Her male colleagues called her Angel-tits Shula behind her back. In fact, they had pet names for all the secretaries; Sexy Sheila, Ravishing June, Big Bum Barbara, Fornicating Fiona, and so on.
Shula had come to the firm after recovering from a brush with religion. She never spoke about it, but this was the story she told.
II
Shula lived at home with her widowed mother. After her father’s funeral, she and her mother were comforted by the young, compassionate priest who had led the service. They were persuaded to come to his church the following Sunday to pray for their departed father. It often comforted the bereaved, he explained. So they did. It was not the sort of religious service Shula had been brought up to expect. For a start, there were no pews as such. People stood around informally. And it was much noisier. The congregation became almost manic at times, crying out the name of the Lord, seeking his blessing. They hugged one another in friendship. The preachers were all dressed in white robes. The congregation sang modern hymns at the tops of their voices. It was more like a celebration than a formal religious service. At the height of the ritual, the priest cried out. “Who needs to be embraced by the Lord Jesus?”
Several members of the congregation went forward, surrounding the priest with looks on their faces ranging from anguish to ecstasy, arms raised in supplication. They cried out their desire to be saved. Two of them sank to their knees, weeping with emotion. The priest laid his hands on their heads, muttering words of hope and support. In an apparent trance, one woman threw open her wrap-over blouse, revealing large pendulous breasts. She begged the Lord to take her into His bosom. One of the other preachers went to stand behind her, wrapping his arms round her, caressing her breasts and nipples. She moaned out loud. Another followed suit, until three women were bare breasted, their nipples being fondled by the clergy. When the priest raised his arms high, calling out “Hear the words of the Lord,” the congregation fell silent, bowing their heads. He spoke a prayer for all those present, for their loved ones and for the dear departed. Those in need of spiritual release should go into the knave where the clergy would comfort them. Shula was surprised to see her mother make her way towards the knave, and followed her. The three women who had bared their breasts were each wrapped in a white cloak by members of the clergy, all of them attractive, fairly young men. Their white robes helped to give them a look of purity and innocence. There were four men amongst the group. Shula was astonished to see that they were all in a state of sexual arousal. Bulges strained at the fabric of their trousers. They were handed wrap-over white cloaks which they adorned. Hidden by the cloaks, the men and women slipped out of their own clothes. These were handed to the clerics.
Two older clerics came in, one with an incense holder, its aromatic smell filling the air. The other with a sceptre. The priest stood by a low altar, covered in a richly embroidered linen cloth, ornate candle-sticks at either end. Soft music was being played somewhere. The whole atmosphere was erotic.
The priest spoke quietly and seriously.
‘The spirit of Jesus Christ is within us. We are his servants. The Lord in his great wisdom endowed us with the means of loving each other. It is no sin to cherish the joy of the flesh, for it is the Lord‘s wish that we should honour our bodies, refreshing them with a peacefulness of body and soul, that we might, with quiet mind, honour His name, thankful for His goodness and mercy.’
Two of the clergy came forward, one with a silver salver of small pills. The other held a silver chalice of red liquid. The three women approached in turn, taking a purple pill and swallowing it with a sip from the chalice. They then stood in line to the left of the altar. The four men followed, repeating the ritual, standing in line to the right of the altar.
The priest came to the front, facing the altar. ‘We pray to Almighty God that he bless the union of these, his servants, endowing them with peace of mind, in His name. Amen.’
The first woman stepped to the altar. She held her arms upwards in supplication, looking towards the roof. The cleric with the sceptre touched her forehead, breasts and groin with it before the woman fell forward to bend over the altar. The first man parted the opening of his robe. Shula watched in amazement as she caught a glimpse of his erect cock before it was masked by the cleric. The sceptre anointed his forehead, his nipples and the tip of his cock. Another came with a bowl and cloth, bathing the penis with it. The priest intoned, “Bless, O Lord, the organs of your servants, that they may do your bidding. Endow them with your holy light and lead them to the fulfillment of your spirit.”
The man then approached the groaning woman from behind, lifted the hem of the woman’s robe, and pressed himself into her. She gave a long moan of joy. Shula realised to her surprise, that she was being fucked! During the action, the priest muttered prayers. The group stood round with heads bowed, hands clasped in front of them. This, Shula decided, was to hide the erections beneath their robes. The couple on the altar gave voice to their feeling, praising God, thanking him for his gifts. When the woman screamed out her alleluia, she was thanking God for her orgasm. When the man cried alleluia shortly after, it was in thanks for his plentiful ejaculation.
The ritual was repeated twice more, with the priest offering up the same prayer beforehand. When it came to the turn of the fourth man, he approached the altar as the women had done before him. But after raising his arms high, he remained standing. Then he turned to face the others. Beneath his robe, it was clear that his cock was straining. Stiff and jerking with lust. One of the clergy approached behind him, slowly taking the cloak at the shoulders. The robe was slipped over his body to leave him standing naked before the altar. Arms raised high in supplication, the full might of his phallus were revealed to all. One of the clergy stood before him, kneeling, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist. After a few moments, the cleric inclined his head onto the cock, taking it deep into his mouth. From the movement of his head Shula knew that the cleric was lovingly gobbling the young man. The cry of alleluia, and the lurch of the loins, announced the ejaculation into the cleric’s mouth.
‘Take this offering, O Lord, in thy holy name.’
