“Sex? You thought the conflict of interest was about sex?” Sutherlin laughed as if that was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. “This is the Catholic Church, Ms. Kanter. And the Catholic Church has been winking at sex for two thousand years. It’s the money that makes them nervous.”
Suzanne shook her head. Too many thoughts crashing about inside it.
“He gave away it all? Every penny?”
Sutherlin nodded.
“He did. Stubborn ass**le priest. When he and Marie-Laure got married, he got access to his massive trust fund. Once she died, he gave every penny of that away too. He was born to be a priest. Money doesn’t interest him. That’s the conflict of interest. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get on with my life without worrying about a reporter hurting Søren.”
“You call him Søren?” Suzanne asked, the question coming out before she could stop it.
“Of course I do. It’s his name. Why do you ask?”
“He said he only told his real name to the people closest to him, to the people he trusted and who knew the real him.”
“That’s very true.”
“How long have you called him Søren?”
Sutherlin’s face softened as she turned her gaze away from Suzanne to smile at the image of Veronica holding out her veil to the fallen Christ.
After a long silence, Sutherlin looked back at Suzanne.
“Since the day we met.”
Suzanne nodded and said nothing. Those five words told Suzanne everything she needed to know. Father Stearns and Nora Sutherlin had something, a connection, an intimacy…something deep and unexplainable, something untouchable, unreachable. The night that Suzanne had begged him to make love to her, he’d said that he did not belong to himself. She thought he’d meant he belonged to God or the Church. Now she knew he meant Nora Sutherlin.
“I’m leaving now,” Sutherlin said. “And you should too.”
“I’d like to at least tell him goodbye. Or am I not allowed?” Suzanne asked. The question held no sarcasm. Whatever Nora Sutherlin told her to do, she would do.
“I’ll allow it. He does like you. I don’t, but I’m a little biased.”
“I can see that.”
Sutherlin raised her chin at Suzanne’s words and somehow knew she’d misspoken. Slowly Sutherlin walked toward her, her hips swaying with each step forward. She’d never been in the presence of a more immediately, viscerally sexual being in her life.
“No, you can’t see that,” Sutherlin said, coming to stand in front of her. “You can’t see anything. Not me. Not him. Not us. We do not exist, remember? Do you know what I am?”
Suzanne shrugged her shoulders in confusion.
“You’re…a writer.”
“I am. I’m also one of the most famous dominatrixes in the entire world. I used to be Kingsley’s number one. Did you know that?”
Suzanne swallowed again.
“I might have heard some rumors.”
“Believe them,” Sutherlin said. “And know they are only the tip of the iceberg. I once had a Texas cattle baron pay me fifty thousand dollars to brand him with his own branding iron. I had a Silicon Valley CEO pay me sixty thousand dollars to piss on his face. I have put the rich and the famous in the hospital. And they paid through the teeth for the privilege of it. I have a police file as thick as Kingsley’s cock, and yet I’ve never been convicted of any crime as an adult. Why? The cops and the lawyers and the judges live in Kingsley’s pocket. And one or two of them lived in mine. In the city, I can get away with murder.”
Suzanne straightened her shoulders and looked Sutherlin directly in the eyes, something that took all of her courage.
“Are you threatening me, Ms. Sutherlin?”
Sutherlin only smiled.
“No. Of course not. All I’m saying is that I’ll do anything to protect him. Anything at all. But there’s no need to worry. I’ve hurt people. I’ve hurt them badly. I’ve left permanent scars on some clients. Some outer scars. Some inner. But all that pain I’ve inflicted…it was all consensual. I’ve never hurt anyone without their permission. All I’m saying, Ms. Kanter, is…” Sutherlin leaned forward and pressed the lightest, softest, most terrifying kiss onto Suzanne’s lips before pulling back an inch and whispering, “There’s a first time for everything.”
And with that, Sutherlin took one step back. And another. Then she turned on her heel and walked out of the church.
Suzanne took a deep breath. She raised her hand and found it shaking. War zones, she reminded herself. She’d been in war zones. This woman shouldn’t terrify her.
Determined to get a shred of her dignity back, Suzanne ran from the sanctuary and saw Nora Sutherlin heading toward a Porsche that had pulled up to the curb.
“Wait!” Suzanne called out and Sutherlin turned around.
“Yes?”
“Just one more question…please.”
Sutherlin smirked.
“One more. But make it a good one.”
Suzanne nodded.
“What’s he like…you know, in bed? I have to know. I’ve never been so attracted to someone in my life. And I’ll never get to be with him. Can you just tell me that?”
Sutherlin looked positively shocked by the question.
“In bed? Me and Søren? We aren’t sleeping together,” Sutherlin said.
Suzanne shook her head. Too many thoughts crashing about inside it.
“He gave away it all? Every penny?”
Sutherlin nodded.
“He did. Stubborn ass**le priest. When he and Marie-Laure got married, he got access to his massive trust fund. Once she died, he gave every penny of that away too. He was born to be a priest. Money doesn’t interest him. That’s the conflict of interest. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get on with my life without worrying about a reporter hurting Søren.”
“You call him Søren?” Suzanne asked, the question coming out before she could stop it.
“Of course I do. It’s his name. Why do you ask?”
“He said he only told his real name to the people closest to him, to the people he trusted and who knew the real him.”
“That’s very true.”
“How long have you called him Søren?”
Sutherlin’s face softened as she turned her gaze away from Suzanne to smile at the image of Veronica holding out her veil to the fallen Christ.
After a long silence, Sutherlin looked back at Suzanne.
“Since the day we met.”
Suzanne nodded and said nothing. Those five words told Suzanne everything she needed to know. Father Stearns and Nora Sutherlin had something, a connection, an intimacy…something deep and unexplainable, something untouchable, unreachable. The night that Suzanne had begged him to make love to her, he’d said that he did not belong to himself. She thought he’d meant he belonged to God or the Church. Now she knew he meant Nora Sutherlin.
“I’m leaving now,” Sutherlin said. “And you should too.”
“I’d like to at least tell him goodbye. Or am I not allowed?” Suzanne asked. The question held no sarcasm. Whatever Nora Sutherlin told her to do, she would do.
“I’ll allow it. He does like you. I don’t, but I’m a little biased.”
“I can see that.”
Sutherlin raised her chin at Suzanne’s words and somehow knew she’d misspoken. Slowly Sutherlin walked toward her, her hips swaying with each step forward. She’d never been in the presence of a more immediately, viscerally sexual being in her life.
“No, you can’t see that,” Sutherlin said, coming to stand in front of her. “You can’t see anything. Not me. Not him. Not us. We do not exist, remember? Do you know what I am?”
Suzanne shrugged her shoulders in confusion.
“You’re…a writer.”
“I am. I’m also one of the most famous dominatrixes in the entire world. I used to be Kingsley’s number one. Did you know that?”
Suzanne swallowed again.
“I might have heard some rumors.”
“Believe them,” Sutherlin said. “And know they are only the tip of the iceberg. I once had a Texas cattle baron pay me fifty thousand dollars to brand him with his own branding iron. I had a Silicon Valley CEO pay me sixty thousand dollars to piss on his face. I have put the rich and the famous in the hospital. And they paid through the teeth for the privilege of it. I have a police file as thick as Kingsley’s cock, and yet I’ve never been convicted of any crime as an adult. Why? The cops and the lawyers and the judges live in Kingsley’s pocket. And one or two of them lived in mine. In the city, I can get away with murder.”
Suzanne straightened her shoulders and looked Sutherlin directly in the eyes, something that took all of her courage.
“Are you threatening me, Ms. Sutherlin?”
Sutherlin only smiled.
“No. Of course not. All I’m saying is that I’ll do anything to protect him. Anything at all. But there’s no need to worry. I’ve hurt people. I’ve hurt them badly. I’ve left permanent scars on some clients. Some outer scars. Some inner. But all that pain I’ve inflicted…it was all consensual. I’ve never hurt anyone without their permission. All I’m saying, Ms. Kanter, is…” Sutherlin leaned forward and pressed the lightest, softest, most terrifying kiss onto Suzanne’s lips before pulling back an inch and whispering, “There’s a first time for everything.”
And with that, Sutherlin took one step back. And another. Then she turned on her heel and walked out of the church.
Suzanne took a deep breath. She raised her hand and found it shaking. War zones, she reminded herself. She’d been in war zones. This woman shouldn’t terrify her.
Determined to get a shred of her dignity back, Suzanne ran from the sanctuary and saw Nora Sutherlin heading toward a Porsche that had pulled up to the curb.
“Wait!” Suzanne called out and Sutherlin turned around.
“Yes?”
“Just one more question…please.”
Sutherlin smirked.
“One more. But make it a good one.”
Suzanne nodded.
“What’s he like…you know, in bed? I have to know. I’ve never been so attracted to someone in my life. And I’ll never get to be with him. Can you just tell me that?”
Sutherlin looked positively shocked by the question.
“In bed? Me and Søren? We aren’t sleeping together,” Sutherlin said.
