by Nikki Wild
“Who are you and what have you done to my fiancé’?”
“Hush,” he said. “Balance, remember?”
“Right,” I laughed. “Balance…”
Rockefeller Center was indeed beautiful. It was also crowded. And colder than a witch’s tit, however cold that was.
I pulled the hat down on my head and pulled the scarf tighter around my neck as we waited in line. Bear hugged me tight, doing his best to keep me warm.
“You’ll forget about the cold once you get out there,” he promised.
It took a few minutes, but eventually, we ventured onto the ice, our rented skates tied firmly onto our feet.
“I’ve only done this a few times in Portland,” I said.
“You’ll get the hang of it,” he said. “Just keep control of your ankles.”
“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” I asked, as I wobbled and held onto him.
“It’s easy,” he replied.
“Maybe easy for a control freak like you, but I’ve never had to be in control of my ankles before in my life. They’re just there! Doing their thing.”
He laughed, holding me up as we slid around the rink, dozens of people passing us.
“That’s it,” he said, “you’re doing good.”
I wouldn’t call it that myself. I felt like I was barely staying upright, my uncontrollable ankles betraying me.
“You have to lift your foot a little,” he said. “Take little steps and then glide…”
“Lift?” I asked, attempting to do just that. My other foot slid out from under me and I landed on my ass on the ice. I looked up at him and shook my head.
“Are you sure you know how to skate?” I asked.
He laughed, pulling me back to my feet.
“Of course,” he said. “Let me tell you a story about this ice skating competition I was in once…”
“Oh, you!” I said, hitting his arm as he winked at me.
“Come on,” he said, pulling me along. “You’re doing good, Beauty. Keep at it.”
We skated for hours and after a few more falls and a whole lot of encouragement from Bear, I finally got the hang of it. I wasn’t going to be doing triple-axels anytime soon, but I could stay on my feet, and surprisingly, I began to understand what he meant about controlling my ankles.
“You’re a good teacher,” I said, after we’d gotten back in the car.
“And you’re a good girl,” he growled, kissing my ear.
“Hey Max,” he called. “Take us to St. Patrick’s.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Dalton,” Max said.
“St. Patrick’s?” I asked.
“Cathedral,” he said. “I’d like to stop by for midnight mass if you don’t mind?”
“Oh, no,” I said. “I don’t mind. I didn’t know you were Catholic.”
“I’m not. I just like to go at this time of the year. The ritual is beautiful. The performance, the costumes…”
“That sounds lovely,” I said, as the city flew by outside the window. When we arrived, the church was lit up, a beautiful temple of snow covered spires and arches that jetted up into the pitch black sky, throwing spooky shadows on the streets below. Huge wreaths hung from the giant arched wooden doors.
“This is stunning,” I whispered, as Max pulled away, leaving Bear and I standing on the street, staring up at the intricate exterior of the cathedral and the huge tree, glittering with a million tiny white lights.
“This is my favorite building in New York. The foundation was first laid in 1858 and it didn’t open until 1879. It’s a masterpiece that took twenty-one years to complete.”
The doors were open and people were streaming in.
“Let’s go inside.” Bear grabbed my hand and we walked through the heavy doors, the scent of incense hitting me immediately.
“It’s so lavish,” I said, drinking in all the beauty. Candles glimmered everywhere, creating twinkling diamonds in my vision everywhere I looked. The pews were lined with red velvet scarves with wreaths at each end.
Thick marble columns traveled up to the top of the church, forming huge, majestic arches that towered over us. Brilliant stained glass windows shimmered, the flickering candlelight dancing against them. Above the pews, empty balconies disappeared behind the arches like empty holes, the only darkness that escaped the hundreds of lights in the church.
Bear led me to a back pew as the choir began singing.
I looked over at him and was stricken by his sheer handsomeness. He looked amazing in the candlelight, in the warm amber glow of the church and I knew I’d remember this moment forever. He smiled back at me, grabbing my hand and holding it tightly. I leaned into him, closing my eyes and letting the sound of the choir’s angelic song wash over me.
When I opened them, the service was beginning. Old priests in elaborate white, gold and red robes and pointy hats began slowly walking down the aisle in a line. The man in front, his bushy white beard as pure white as the fresh snow falling outside, was carrying a golden covered book with a huge cross on it. The choir sang as they made their way to the altar at the front of the church. A huge nativity scene stood next to the choir.
‘Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant’ the choir sang, their voices rising all the way to the top of the church in a blissful, hypnotic chant.
Bear tugged on my hand after the last priest passed by, pulling me out of the pew and back into the lobby.
“Where are we going?” I asked, as he pulled me towards a back staircase.
“I got a tour of this place once. I think we can get a better view,” he said, as we stopped in front of a velvet rope blocking the staircase.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to go up there.”
“Nonsense,” he said, unhooking the rope and pulling me past it. He hooked it back, without a care in the world, and pulled me up the dark stairs. The sound of the choir in the distance echoed through the church, as we walked up the stairs. Darkness fell around us and I gripped his hand tighter.
He led me down a hallway and past a cluster of offices. He opened a door at the end of the hallway and looked around.
“Looks like the coast is clear,” he said, as we walked through a bigger office and though yet another door.
Oh come let us adore you…the choir’s voice rang out loud as they approached the end of the song.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” I asked.
“Hush,” he said, looking over his shoulder and winking at me, as he pulled me past a dark curtain and then out into an open space. I gasped as I realized we were in one of the balconies at the top of the church. The altar, the choir, the priests, now on stage, the parishioners singing in their pews, all their voices rising straight up to us, filling the dark balcony like an amphitheater.
Bear pulled me to the railing and we looked down at the spectacle below us, my heart filled with awe. The power of the voices alone, their song explosive and enchanting, it felt like a dream.
Just like every moment with Bear, I thought, beaming at him.
“You’re amazing,” I said, leaning over and whispering in his ear as he gazed down below.
He put his arm around my waist, pulling me close, as we watched the service.
“That’s the Holy Father,” Bear pointed out the man with the golden book as he walked on stage. A group of young boys, also dressed in robes, surrounded him, holding up a smoking gold orb that he took from them. He turned his back to the crowd, waving the orb all around, sending billowing smoke clouds floating all around him, before handing it back to the boys.
He walked over to the podium and the choir stopped singing.
Bear walked around behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as I leaned back into him. My eyes widened when I felt his hard cock press into my ass.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” the Holy Father began.
Bear spun me around in the darkness to face him, leaning me up against the railing. He kissed me, his tongu
e parting my lips and darting inside, tangling with mine. His kiss was hot, urgent, and it took my breath away. I pulled away, my eyes wide with surprise.
“Bear!” I whispered, as quietly as possible.
A slow grin spread across his face and he arched an eyebrow.
“On your knees, Beauty,” he whispered.
“You can’t be serious?” I said, my heart racing. He pressed his cock into my hip, his expression stern and insistent.
And then, he simply nodded.
“Peace be with you…”
I sank to my knees, hoping to God I was hidden from everyone below us. I looked up at Bear and he stared down at me.
“Take it out,” he said.
I bit my lip, my pussy spasming despite the thundering in my chest.
“My brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, I welcome you sincerely to St. Patrick’s Cathedral this evening…”
I reached up, unfastening his jeans, pulling out his pulsing, throbbing cock. Hot and heavy in my hands, the soft velvety skin slid across my palm as Bear flinched above me, his eyes staring down at the service.
“To each and every one of you, I extend my prayerful best wishes for a Christmas filled with every grace and blessing, for yourselves, of course, and for all of your loved ones, as well….”
I opened my mouth, slipping his pulsing cock between my lips. His hands sank into my hair, guiding his cock in and out of my mouth.
“And now my dear friends in order to prepare ourselves to celebrate the holy sacrifice of the mass, to pray this most powerful and most beautiful of prayers, I would ask that you join me now in setting aside all of your thoughts, in placing ourselves squarely in the presence of our God, so that together, mindful of our sins, we may beg the eternal father for forgiveness…”
He held my head firmly, pushing into my mouth deeper and deeper as my tongue swirled around his twitching shaft. I reached down between my legs, pressing two fingers into my clit. Desire rushed through me as he stuffed his cock deeper, pressing against the back of my throat and then pulling out slowly again. He stiffened above me and I tasted the saltiness of his excitement.
“I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault…”
Bear reached down, pulling me up quickly and turning me around. He leaned into me from behind, whispering into my ear, his words shooting right through me.
“Bend over.”
I threw my head back, my eyes wide with alarm.
His eyes were a dark warning, his pupils wide with urgent, unspent passion. I turned back to the service, putting my hands on the railing and leaning forward. He pulled up my skirt, reaching underneath and pulling my tights around my shaking thighs. His finger plunged inside of me, the slickness seeping out of me already. He removed his hand, reaching around to my face and sliding his fingers in. I tasted myself, the heady aroma rushing through me, sending my body into a spasming shudder.
Bless me father, for I have sinned…in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, and I ask Blessed Mary the virgin, all the angels and saints, and you my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.…
He pulled his hand from my mouth, grabbing my hips and guiding his cock inside of me. It was so hard, slicing into me forcefully, as he held onto me, rocking into me, hard and fast. I bit my lip to keep from crying out, the loud thundering prayers of the Holy Father echoing through the cathedral.
May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting love…
Bear’s cock slammed into me, slick and smooth and fast as lightening, his long, full strokes leaving me quivering beneath him. I opened my thighs, lifting my ass to give him better access. Wave after wave of sinful pleasure washed over me, hitting me hard, his cock swelling and twitching inside of me.
“Beauty, my Beauty,” he whispered, his body freezing as his cock exploded inside of me.
The choir sang out again, filling the church with their heavenly voices and I couldn’t hold it in any longer. A long, low moan escaped from me as I pushed back into him, welcoming his holy seed, the warmth of his love spreading through me, cleansing me and giving me life as I spasmed around his pulsing, hot cock.
We stayed there, his cock buried inside of me as he held me close, as the voices of the choir rang out around us. He slipped out of me slowly, and I stood up, turning around to him, his mouth finding mine, his kiss deeper and more passionate than any before.
He pulled away, smiling down at me, his devilish grin sending shivers down my spine. We dressed quickly and he pulled me back the way we came, our smiles huge as we made our way through the darkness, the words of the next speaker guiding our way.
“The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed…”
I burst out laughing. The deep voice of the speaker boomed through the church, as we descended the stars, Bear unhooking the velvet rope just as nonchalantly as he had before. He grabbed my hand and we walked to the door, the choir’s song trailing out behind us as they started up again.
“Oh, holy night, the stars are bright and shining…”
We stepped out onto the street and I felt Bear’s pleasure seeping out of me.
“Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel’s voices…”
We slipped into the back of the car, the choir’s song gently fading away as the door closed.
“You’re sinful!” I giggled.
“Should I beg for your forgiveness?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Never!” I cried, as he pulled me into his arms, our laughter pouring out into the night air as Max took us home.
Chapter 9
“I met someone!”
Confusion filled my eyes as I stared at Matilda across our candlelit table. We were sitting at a corner table at The Lamb’s Club. The dining room was incredible, with low slung, red leather banquettes and a roaring fireplace that we were thankfully sitting right next to.
“Who did you meet?” I finally asked, convinced I’d just misunderstood.
“No, Chloe,” my mom replied, her eyes sparkling, “I met someone.”
I almost choked on my wine when I realized she was indeed saying what I thought.
“Like, a man?” I asked.
Her laughter rang out in the crowded dining room.
“Yes, silly,” she said.
“I don’t understand,” I shook my head.
“What’s to understand, Chloe?” she asked. “Your dear old mother has a boyfriend.”
“A what!” I cried.
“Hush!” she said. “Is it that unbelievable?”
“Well, yeah,” I replied. “You haven’t dated anyone since Dad left.”
“I know,” she said. “Don’t you think it’s about time?”
“What about your job?” I blurted.
“What about it? Having a boyfriend will hardly interfere with my job, Chloe. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Yeah, I guess…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” I replied. “It’s just weird, that’s all.”
“I’m sure it comes as a surprise,” she said, taking a sip of wine. “But you’ll get used to it.”
“So who is it?” I asked.
“A friend of Bear’s actually,” she said.
“What!” I yelled, forgetting where I was at. Heads turned, but I ignored them.
“Good lord, Chloe, what is wrong with you?” Mom asked, flashing me her rare ‘Mom’ face.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “What does Bear have to do with this?”
“Nothing,” she said, squinting her eyes at me. She paused, scanning my face. I looked down at my
plate full of roast duck to avoid her gaze. “Bear introduced us at a meeting, that’s all. He’s a very successful real estate attorney.”
“I see,” I said.
“Chloe, I know this is a shock, but I thought you’d be happier for me.” She pursed her lips disapprovingly, tiny lines forming around the edges of her lipstick.
“I am,” I said, with a dismissive wave. “Sorry, it’s just going to take some getting used to.”
“I understand,” she said. “You’ll have to meet him. His name is Anthony. Anthony Lavelli.”
“Great,” I said, trying to muster a smile. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say. I’d spent the better part of the day trying to figure out if and when I should tell her about Bear and by the time I’d gotten in the car, I’d still not come to a decision.
I was pretty sure she’d never understand.
I’d stuffed my ring in the corner pocket of my purse on the way in, so that I could have a little more time to make up my mind.
Now that she’d told me her big news, I wasn’t about to tell her mine.
“I can’t wait to meet him, Mom,” I said, finally. I meant it. I looked across at her and realized I’d not seen her this happy and relaxed in a very long time. “I’m glad you’re happy. You deserve it.”
“Thank you for saying that, Chloe,” she said, smiling warmly at me. “That means a lot to me.”
“Good, I meant it,” I said, taking another sip of wine.
“So,” she said, after a moment. “How’s the job going? I haven’t seen you around the office, but I haven’t been there much myself. It must be keeping you quite busy.”
The job. Right. Shit, I’d not told her about that either.
“Actually, I resigned,” I admitted.
“Resigned?” she asked, her eyes wide as saucers.
“Well, I never really started,” I said. “It just wasn’t the right position for me, Mom. I don’t know anything about interior design. It was too stressful, just trying to figure out how to start. I told Bear I didn’t want to do it.”
“So, is he going to find you something else?” she asked.
“Kind of,” I said.
“Well, like what?” she said.
