21. Celine
Celine
Two days have passed since Father Alexander caught me talking on the phone with my friends. And since I witnessed the bulge in his pants. It was a nice image to get myself off to that night, but I’ve been thinking about what he could have possibly been thinking about that got him to that point.
Maybe my getting into trouble was a turn on for him. I’ve met many men with kinks like that, but I never would have expected a priest to be into it.
I also haven’t been able to stop thinking about how Father Alexander opened up about what he knew of Father Keaton’s activities behind closed doors.
I knew that I wasn’t crazy for thinking something was going on between him and Joanna.
I’m still dumbfounded that it is happening, given Father Keaton’s status here and the fact that he is a priest.
Thoughts had been clouding my mind throughout Sister Alice’s meeting with me. She wanted to check in to see how I’ve been doing during my time here in the convent, and even though I was answering her questions, I wasn’t fully invested in the conversation.
I wondered how Father Keaton and Joanna began having sex with each other. Joanna is a woman of God, and knowing she is engaged in such activity is mind-blowing. But then again, Joanna is full of surprises. She does have an attitude buried deep inside her.
Sister Alice had left ten minutes ago, and I’ve been sitting here in the office, staring out the open door. Sitting in the chair, I chew on my bottom lip as I roll my pointer finger over my thumb, wondering what I should do next.
Since it is Saturday, I planned on going to the library to continue cleaning for Sister Greta. There is still plenty to do in there, and sometimes it feels like I’ll never finish doing my duty in there.
After a few more minutes, I finally find the motivation to get up and leave the office used for visitations.
When I step out into the hall, the silence is deafening.
I look to my right, which heads toward the chapel, and am surprised when I don’t hear any voices.
All the women must be doing their own things.
Knowing that I’m alone, the longing to step foot outside this convent is strong. Even just for a second, I would like to taste that freedom. I turn my head toward the lobby. The itch to break the rules intensifies. With no one around, it would be so easy to sneak out for a moment.
My feet move before my brain can process, and within seconds, I am standing at the front doors.
There is a loud pounding in my chest that floats up to my ears, blocking out the silence around me.
I wet my lips and reach my hand out to the handle.
I’d only be out there for a second, and then I’ll turn around and come back in.
Having the plan set, my hand pushes down on the handle, but when it doesn’t budge, my brows furrow. I give it a good wiggle and realize that the door is locked. A laugh of disbelief leaves me at the fact that I’m quite literally trapped here.
“What are you doing?” The familiar voice causes my hand to drop from the handle.
I spin around, an innocent smile plastered on my face as I lock eyes with Father Alexander.
“Nothing.”
“Really?” His eyes move to the door behind me. “You weren’t just trying to leave?”
Inhaling a deep breath, I let the smile fade because I don’t feel like lying. I already did enough of that during my meeting with Sister Alice.
“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Did you know the door is locked?”
He shakes his head, looking from me then to the door. “I didn’t.”
“So when you leave the convent to get a coffee, the door is always unlocked?”
“Yeah,” he answers. “But I haven’t ventured out lately, so I hadn’t realized the door was locked.”
“Is there a reason you haven’t left?” I tilt my head and lean back on the door. “Maybe because you are stuck babysitting me, and the chance of you leaving the convent for a little while could result in my escaping?”
“I’m not babysitting you, Celine.”
“Could have fooled me.” I grin. “Stalker.”
His tongue pokes the inside of his cheek while trying to hide a grin. “Not a stalker either.”
“Oh, really? Then do you care to explain why you snuck up on me?”
“I was going to my office to get some work done when I heard someone messing with the door handle.” He takes a step forward. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“The library.” I sigh. “Would you like to walk me to make sure I don’t get into any more trouble?”
“I might as well.” He steps aside, giving me a path to the hall.
I push off the door and pass him, entering the hall. I only make it a couple of steps down before I stop in front of Father Keaton’s office.
Behind me, I can feel the warmth of Father Alexander’s body against my back. His breathing is even, but I can feel his confusion wrap around me like a blanket.
“Why did you stop?”
“Have you ever wanted to snoop around his office?”
“No,” he responds immediately.
I glance over my shoulder at him, having to crane my neck to meet his gaze since he is standing directly behind me. “Not even after finding out he is having sex with Joanna?”
Father Alexander’s eyes dip to my mouth, his throat bobbing as he swallows. “Why would I even think about snooping through his stuff? It’s not right.”
“For evidence,” I say. “What he is doing is not right, Father Alexander. Don’t you want to have something to blackmail him if need be?”
His amber eyes meet mine. “No.”
I groan. “Well, I do.”
Facing the office again, I step inside and round Father Keaton’s desk. His laptop is closed, and when I open it, I’m prompted to enter a password.
“Celine.” Father Alexander seethes through his teeth.
“What do you think his password is?” I ignore his warning.
“I don’t know, and don’t you dare try to type anything in,” he warns in a harsh tone that sends chills through my body.
“You’re no fun.” I pout and shut the laptop. With my luck, I would keep guessing his password until it locked me out.
Scanning the contents on the top of his desk, I only find boring paperwork. With an annoyed sigh, I begin opening his drawers when Father Alexander repeats my name, this time with more anger.
I stand straight, narrowing my eyes at him. “If you don’t want to witness me doing this, then leave. Pretend like you never saw me here.”
“And let you get caught?” he says with a worry I wasn’t expecting. “Not going to happen. Let’s go before Father Keaton decides to come to his office.”
He sticks his head out of the door, glancing down the hall to see if anyone is heading this way.
I take this opportunity, while he is distracted, to keep looking through the desk drawers.
One by one, there is nothing of importance in them.
I let out a sigh of defeat, but then the bottom right drawer doesn’t open.
My eyes lift to where Father Alexander is standing, who is now staring at me.
“It’s locked.”
“Then leave it be,” he pleads.
“What could he possibly be hiding in here that he’d need to lock it?” I drop my eyes to the surface of the desk, eyeing a letter opener. I swipe it from the desk, along with a paper clip, and begin picking the lock.
“Are you seriously about to break into his desk? In front of me?” Father Alexander asks in shock.
“Aren’t you a little curious as to what else he is hiding?” I maneuver the objects in the keyhole until I hear a click. “Ah ha!”
I place the letter opener and paper clip back on the desk, then slide the drawer open. My eyes scan the contents inside, and I can feel my face turn pale.
“Did you find what you hoped for?” Father Alexander asks.
I stare at the object for another minute before glancing at Father Alexander. “It’s a gun.”
Father Alexanders stares at me in a daze of disbelief. “What?”
“There is a gun in the drawer.” As if he doesn’t believe me, Father Alexander rounds the desk and looks into the drawer. “Why would he need this?”
“I don’t know,” he says more to himself than to me. “Close the drawer, Celine. We need to get out of here.”
With a nod, I shut the drawer and give it a good tug. Thank God Father Keaton invested in a desk with auto-locking drawers. We leave the office and head down the hall in silence. It isn’t until we are near the library that I speak up.
“I’m sorry for putting you in that position.” I apologize sincerely.
It would have been bad for him if we had been caught and he had just been standing there watching me break into Father Keaton’s desk.
He blows out a long breath and rubs his hand over his mouth. “Just promise me that you won’t go in there again to snoop more.”
“I promise.” I hold up my pinky. Father Alexander stares at it for a moment and then brings his eyes to mine. “A pinky promise? Ever heard of it?”
“Of course I’ve heard of a pinky promise.”
“Well, just so you know, I don’t break my pinky promises.” I wiggle the finger for him to link his with.
With a shake of his head, he hooks his pinky with mine, and I notice how his chest rises and falls at a quick rate from the mere connection. Holding back my smile, I do him a favor and unhook my finger from his.
“What are you going to do with the information that Father Keaton has—” I peek around him to make sure no one is around us and lower my voice—“a gun in his office?”
“I’m going to forget it’s in there.”
“But—”
“It’s most likely for protection,” he cuts me off, closing the distance between us.
Father Alexander is much taller than I am, so I have to bend my neck to meet his gaze.
“For your own protection, Celine, I suggest you forget about what you found, okay? You don’t need to be getting into any trouble. ”
It feels like my heart has grown wings, fluttering in my chest. Him being this close reminds me of that night in the library. At the thought, I allow my eyes to fall to his lips.
Wetting my own, I say, “It’s nice that you care if I get in trouble or not.”
His voice drops an octave. “Someone has to keep you in line.”
My thighs clench together at the sultry tone of his voice. I want nothing more than for him to close this distance between us completely, but I watch the battle that he is fighting in his eyes—the battle between right and wrong. The same one I saw that night.
Clearing his throat, he puts more distance between us, and my shoulders sag. If he notices the disappointment written all over my face, he doesn’t show it.
“Go help Sister Greta,” he instructs. “I will see you tomorrow for Prayer.”
He begins to walk away, but I stop him by asking, “What? No nightly prayer?”
His shoulders tense, and he pivots his head to the side. “Not tonight, Celine.”
With that, he stalks away and leaves me outside the library.