by Donna Raider
“Is your sister okay?” the priest asked Matt.
“She is, Mika.” Matt frowned. “Both of us are concerned that the education we’re receiving here isn’t the greatest. I mean, honestly, what high school teaches Parting the Red Sea in freshman history?”
Mika chuckled. “That is a little out in left field, Son. What do you propose?”
“I know the older five grew up here, and I know Mom loves being mayor and you are the parish priest, but your work seems to take you more and more to the city. Aunt Kathryn pretty much does the mayor’s job, and Father Andy now runs the parish. We miss you a lot. We want to be where you and Mom are.”
##
That night in the sanctuary of their bedroom, Mika leaned back against the headboard and Leah leaned on her legs. “Regina and Matt are concerned about the quality of education they’re receiving in the schools here,” Leah said, opening the conversation.
“I know.” Mika nodded. “Matt spoke with me about it. They’re still teaching Parting the Red Sea in freshman history.”
“How do you feel about living somewhere else?” Leah asked with a grimace.
“Anywhere on Earth is acceptable for me as long as I’m with you, darling,” Mika answered honestly.
“We seem to own property all over the world.” Leah raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Where would you like to live?”
“For raising children?” Mika thought for a long time. “How about Texas? It is in the Bible Belt and is a conservative state. Texas high schools rank ninth in the nation in math and science. Of course, the state in which we currently live ranks first, but our town’s public schools aren’t quite the same as Maine’s.”
“You do know Delilah is still the school superintendent?” Leah scowled. “She is very resistant to change.”
Mika chuckled. “Yes, darling, I know.”
“Why don’t we go to Texas this summer when school is out?” Leah said thoughtfully. “We do own a ranch there. We could spend the summer. If we like it, we can enroll the children in school for next year.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea.” Mika smiled.
Leah leaned forward and kissed her.
“You know, if I could do nothing else with you, I would be happy just to feel your soft lips on mine,” Mika murmured against her lips.
“What, and miss out on these wonderful children?” Leah laughed.
“Umm,” Mika hummed as Leah turned off the light and slid into her arms.
##
Leah was kissing her wife goodbye at the elevator when the doors opened, bringing the Cortezes back into their lives. Phil and Rita stared open-mouthed as the couple clung to each other, reluctant to end their kiss.
“Oh.” Mika jumped when she saw the elevator had occupants. “I’m sorry. We had no idea we had an audience.” A blush lightly colored her face.
She is too cute, Rita thought.
Lucky bastard, Phil thought.
“Please, come in.” Leah smiled graciously. “Let me grab my coat and purse and we’ll be off. I took the liberty of having James bring the car around, since it’s still raining.”
“Darling, the diocese is sending a car to pick me up this morning.” Mika kissed her lightly. “You don’t have to drop me off at the church. Will I see you for lunch?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Leah smiled mischievously.
From the look in the couple’s eyes, Rita was certain they wouldn’t be invited to lunch with the priest and her wife.
##
The small theater was crowded with actresses trying out for the part of Candice Carter in the television series. Leah and the Cortezes managed to get a seat on the second row of observers.
After sitting through the auditions of twelve would-be actresses, Leah decided to step outside for a breath of fresh air. She quietly slipped from her seat and started up the aisle.
“You!” A commanding voice rang out through the theater. “You, the brunette. I want you to read for this part.”
After several strangers had waved at her, Leah realized the voice was talking to her.
“Oh, no,” she said, laughing nervously, “I’m not trying out. I’m just here to watch.”
“You have the look I am after,” the voice called out. “Please come onto the stage.”
Leah stepped up on the stage and addressed the director of the series. “I’m no actress.” She smiled. “I truly have no interest in trying out for the part.”
As she turned to leave, the director grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. “What the hell?” she growled, yanking her arm from his grasp and whirling on him, stopping short of frying him. Her brown eyes were blazing. No one touched her without her permission.
“That’s it! That’s the fire I am looking for.” The director laughed loudly. “I want you. Who is your agent?”
Leah raked her eyes from the top of the man’s bald head to the bottom of his feet. “I have no agent. I told you I’m not interested.”
“No problem.” The director grinned. “Please allow me to introduce myself. Wayman Stiles, at your service, lovely lady. What’s your name?”
“I’m her agent.” An attractive man in his late fifties stepped forward and handed the director his card. “Call me.”
“Marcus, you always have the good ones.” The director scowled, knowing this was going to get expensive. Marcus Devon’s clients were the crème da la crème.
Marcus steered Leah to a small office in the theater. The Cortezes followed.
“Marcus.” Leah smiled. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Turning to the Cortezes, she quickly introduced them. “I would like you to meet Richie’s future in-laws, Phillip and Rita Cortez. Marcus Devon, a dear friend.”
Marcus graciously acknowledged the newcomers then turned his attention to Leah. “What brings you to New York?” he asked, concerned that she was without Mika.
“Mika is at a month-long church meeting, helping prepare a presentation for the Ecumenical or general council.” She shrugged.
“Sometimes those meetings drag on for years,” Marcus informed her.
“I know.” She frowned. “We are just praying this one won’t. We miss our children.”
“How many children?” Marcus inquired.
“Eleven.” Leah smiled. “Eight at home and three in college. We miss them desperately.” She placed her hand on her stomach and said, “And two more on the way.”
Marcus studied the beautiful woman who had to be at least sixty but didn’t look a day older than she had the first time he met her, twenty-five years ago. “May we speak in private?” he asked, turning to usher the Cortezes out the door and closing it.
“How old are you telling people you are?” He frowned.
“Marcus, you know I don’t tell anyone my age,” she said, smiling.
“Leah, I would never do anything to hurt you or your family,” Marcus reassured her. “I need to know, okay.”
“Technically, I am thirty-four,” she said honestly.
“I can live with that.” He smiled. “I know you must be bored, or you wouldn’t have been at this casting today. Why don’t you just shoot the pilot for the show? More than likely, it will go no further than that. It will be fun, and you can move on. Okay?”
“My family hasn’t fared well with the entertainment circles in this town.” Leah frowned. “I don’t think I want to get involved with them.”
“I can respect that,” he said, nodding. “But keep an open mind. You might find it’s fun, for a while. I’m able to protect you. I own the talent agency now. As your agent, I will always be between you and anyone else.”
“I’ll discuss it with Mika,” she promised.
Marcus opened the door and led her from the office. “Phillip, Rita, it was a pleasure to meet you.” He bowed slightly to the couple. “My card. Leah, please call me one way or the other. Okay?” He handed Leah his business card and watched the gorgeous brunette walk away. He knew Stiles would be ringing
his phone off the wall tomorrow.
Leah checked the time. Thirty minutes before she could see her wife. She bid the Cortezes goodbye, promising to call them sometime, and walked back to the Towers. She missed her children and Mika.
She reapplied her makeup and ran a comb through her hair. She was standing in front of the dressing mirror when her wife appeared behind her. She didn’t jump. She was expecting Mika.
“My beautiful wife.” Mika put her arms around Leah and kissed the nape of her neck.
Leah watched them in the mirror. The voyeur in her thrilled at the sight of her wife’s blonde head next to hers, Mika’s lips on her neck. She loved to watch Mika’s hands move seductively down her body and caress her in all the right places. She loved it when Mika looked in the mirror, and her eyes darkened with lust, just seeing Leah in her arms. She loved everything about Mika.
##
“I have some good news.” Mika inhaled deeply, lying flat on her back, still trying to catch her breath.
Leah propped herself up on her elbow to look into Mika’s incredible blue eyes. “Are your meetings finished?” She kissed her lightly.
“Not that good.” Mika chuckled. “But they are over for today.”
“Um.” Leah moved on top of Mika. “I wondered why you were taking your time. I thought I had just gotten lucky.”
“I believe I was the one who got lucky.” Mika smiled.
“We can have the rest of the evening and night to ourselves.” Mika rubbed her hands down Leah’s back and caressed her hips, pressing her tighter against her. “Or we can teleport home and spend time with our children.”
“We haven’t had much time alone in the past two weeks.” Leah searched Mika’s eyes for agreement. “Let’s take tonight for ourselves, if that is okay with you?”
“I would love that.” Mika smiled. “I think we are getting close to abstaining until the babies are born, aren’t we?”
“We’re good for about two more weeks, then…”
“Back to hell for me,” Mika whimpered dramatically.
“You are such a baby.” Leah laughed, gently pressing her lips against Mika’s. Leah parted her lips, extending an invitation to enter—an invitation Mika gleefully accepted. The kiss deepened as she sought to merge with Mika in every way.
A deep growl originating somewhere in the depths of Mika’s powerful body told Leah she had awakened her most profound need for her, and she thrilled at the power she had over the priest. Power she would never abuse. Her greatest desire was just to love Mika.
##
As the sun was abandoning the heavens, Leah traced little circles around Mika’s breasts. “Want to go out to dinner?”
“I would like that,” Mika agreed. “It seems like ages since we have dined alone together.”
Leah slipped from the bed and stood. “Today I saw a lovely dress in the window of Bloomingdale’s. I think I will wear something similar.” She was instantly dressed in a stunning black and white diamond-patterned dress that daringly revealed her glorious cleavage. An impressive four-strand diamond necklace lay on her chest, directing the eye of the beholder toward the cleavage. Matching earrings and black heels finished the look, which any model would have been proud to wear.
Mika stood from the bed, naked. “I feel underdressed.” She grinned. Leah instantly dressed her in a black Italian sports jacket with a dark shadow pinstripe. “Nice,” she said, smiling. Charcoal slacks with a white shirt and black Italian loafers finished the look.
“Butch chic.” Leah laughed.
“You know I never got to play with dolls when I was a little girl.” Leah grinned wickedly. “I rather enjoy dressing and undressing you.”
“I guess that makes me your very own Barbie doll.” Mika chuckled.
Mika reached for her, but she skittered away. “Be a nice girl or I will put a tie around your neck.” Leah laughed as she put Mika’s collar in place correctly.
##
“Our favorite French restaurant?” Leah raised a questioning eyebrow. Mika nodded, and they appeared in the alley beside the establishment.
The maître d’ immediately seated them in a secluded booth. They loved the circular booths at Daniel’s; they allowed them to sit side by side and touch under the tablecloth. Daniel—the restaurant’s name stirred a faint memory in her. Something about a lion’s den.
Mika told her that she feared the council meetings would go on indefinitely. “I would just walk away, but this is too important. You know how strongly I feel about it.” Mika shook her head as if she couldn’t understand how others could disagree with her.
Leah told Mika about her encounter with Marcus Devon and how he had saved her from an unpleasant situation.
“If I am going to be stuck here until who knows when,” Mika said, shrugging, “maybe you should consider doing something like a television series. It could be fun.”
“I don’t know.” Leah frowned. “Do you think it’s wise to expose ourselves that much?”
“Tell Marcus to set you up a stage name,” Mika said thoughtfully. “All entertainers do it. You know, something like Leah Russell.”
“That’s not a bad stage name.” Leah smiled, turning her face up to Mika for a kiss.
“You want to have lunch with Marcus tomorrow?” Mika offered to sacrifice their time.
“Not without you.” Leah pouted. “I want you to come with me.”
“I can do that.” Mika leaned down and kissed her again.
They discussed Mika’s efforts to gain support for changing the church’s celibacy laws. “Several more priests have joined into my argument.” She bowed her head. “I know it’s the right thing to do. I can’t stand up and say I know for a fact that my God never intended humans to live alone.”
“How do you know that?” Leah tilted her head questioningly.
“I was there.” Mika smiled. “I listened to Him reason out the things He did. He made Adam and then He made Eve because He didn’t want Adam to be lonely. Just like He let me find you, because He didn’t want me to be lonely. God is a loving God. He doesn’t want us to be miserable. The only thing that makes us miserable is when we let evil into our lives.”
“Are you through eating?” Leah asked softly. “I want to be alone with you.”
“Yes, let me get the check.” Mika kissed the back of Leah’s hand she had been holding.
##
Later, Leah lay in Mika’s arms, listening to the steady beat of her heart. The twins decided to have a kicking match. “What was that?” Mika laughed. “Felt like two soccer players.”
Leah moved to lie on her back and Mika began gently rubbing her stomach. The babies kicked at her hand as if they could feel Mika loving them. “You know,” Mika said as she kissed her softly, “you sincerely need to adhere to our five-year plan, or we will have to add another wing to the mansion.”
##
Father Darius Norton watched Priest Mika Cross as she strode into the meeting. Mika was confident she was on the right side of the argument that had raged in the church for centuries.
The beautiful priest seemed completely unaware of the effect her beauty and charisma had on those around her. Everyone liked Priest Mika, and most priests agreed with Mika’s beliefs that celibacy was an unnatural state for mankind.
Darius knew Mika was married and had nine or ten kids, but he had never met her wife. Probably a dowdy little thing who was willing to crank out babies to bind the gorgeous priest to her.
Almost thirty, Darius was having difficulty with his own sexuality and his love for God and the church. He found he envied his siblings who had children. Darius loved his nieces and nephews and often wondered if he had made the wrong decision to enter the priesthood. He prayed long and hard for the strength to honor his commitment.
Darius had volunteered to co-chair the committee Mika was chairing. He found the blonde priest to be brilliant and insightful in her understanding and translations of the Bible. Mika read, wrote, and spoke Hebrew, Gre
ek, Italian, Latin, Arabic, Farsi, and Spanish. Many times, Mika would produce an ancient text of the Bible that was written in Greek or Hebrew and point out that the English version of the Bible had slightly changed the words, giving the writings a different meaning. Priest Mika was exciting.
Of course, scholars and biblical translators from all over the world would come in to challenge the priest’s understanding of what she was reading. In the end, she was always right. Mika was gaining an excellent reputation among biblical scholars.
##
Father Timothy Branch was an older priest leading the fight to enforce the celibacy rules of the church vigorously. On several occasions, he had mounted personal attacks on Mika and her beliefs. In a battle of the wits and biblical knowledge, he always lost confrontations with the younger priest.
Darius arrived at the priests’ lounge ahead of Mika and quickly got the two of them coffee and found a table away from the chaos of others in the cafeteria. He hailed Mika as soon as she entered the room.
Mika sat down across from the sandy-haired priest that reminded her so much of her oldest son.
“Thank you.” Mika lifted her coffee cup as if toasting Darius. “I need this. They were especially vicious this morning.”
Darius nodded. “Why do you fight so hard? I know you’re right, but you’re just asking for the barbs and criticisms. The personal attacks are relentless and cruel.”
“It isn’t for me.” Mika frowned. “I have everything I could want: my God, an incredible wife, and wonderful children. I just can’t stand by and see good men and women punished for loving our God.
“In the sixth century, there was a hard push by the church to press celibacy onto priests. It had nothing to do with the teachings of the Bible and everything to do with the church’s greed for property and assets held by the priests.”
“How did celibacy fill the coffers of the church?” Darius asked.
“Parishioners loved their priests,” Mika explained. “Many times, when they died, they would leave their homes and holdings to their priest. When a priest died, his wife or offspring inherited whatever he owned. Many priests became very wealthy. By forbidding a priest to marry or have children, the church guaranteed that there were no heirs to inherit the priest’s wealth, thus the possessions went to the church. Most of the priests I’ve known used their riches to help those in their parish.