ABSOLUTION (A Frank Renzi novel) by Susan A Fleet Read Free Book Online

down the aisle, scanning the crowded restaurant. His groin ached with a fierce and desperate longing, but he saw no sign of Patti. What if she wasn’t here? God had presented him with another sinner. Completing the mission was his responsibility.
    He slid into the booth facing the service bar and saw a waitress come out of the kitchen. Was it Patti? No. The woman was taller than Patti. With unseeing eyes, he stared at the menu, his mind racing with dire possibilities. What if Patti was sick? What if she’d found a better paying job and quit?
    This morning he’d made himself do three dozen pushups, resisting the impulse to watch the news which was sure to be full of stories about Dawn. To no avail. Unable to resist, he had gone out and located Patti’s apartment, an ugly cement-block structure with no off-street parking. He left his car three blocks away and walked to her apartment, acting as if he knew exactly where he was going, which he did, climbing the stairs to the second floor, then to the third. He noted the time and returned to his car, avoiding eye contact with people along the way. The return trip had taken five minutes. If necessary, he could probably do it in two at a dead run.
    He set aside the menu and rubbed his eyes. The shameful urge had returned, invading his mind every waking moment, rendering him incapable of the simplest task. If Patti wasn’t here, how could he prepare for her Absolution? If only God would send him a sign . . .
    His heart surged as Patti hustled down the aisle, balancing two bottles of Abita beer on a tray. She stopped at the booth opposite his, took the couple’s order and turned to face him. Her mouth sagged open when she saw his Roman collar and short-sleeved black shirt.
    Sweat dampened his armpits. “Hi Patti, how are you today?”
    “ I didn’t know you were a priest.” She seemed flustered, staring at him, wide-eyed, her face flushed. “Last time you were here you didn’t . . .”
    He smiled to ease her discomfort. “Sometimes I wear civvies.”
    “ Gee, I would never have guessed you were a priest.” She giggled, covering her mouth to hide her buck teeth. “I mean, you look so young.”
    She seemed disappointed, which rather pleased him. If he was a priest, she couldn’t fantasize about seducing him. Well, she could, but she would feel guilty about it.
    “ I came in so we could talk, Patti. About your situation.”
    After a nervous glance around the crowded restaurant, she said, “Uhh, that’s nice, but we’re real busy on Saturdays.”
    “ Okay, tell you what, let’s talk after you get off work. Are you working late tonight?”
    “ Till midnight. What did you want to talk about, Father?”
    Your sinful ways, Patti. I want you to tell me about all those men you tempted .
    “ Your financial situation. You need money for nursing school and my dad—” The word stuck in his throat. Never in his life had he called that monster “dad.” He began again. “I know some businessmen, Patti, and I think I can help you find a better job.”
    “ Well . . .” She shifted her feet and tucked her bottom lip under her snow-plow front teeth.
    “ Are you working late tomorrow?” His groin throbbed with a pounding erection. Please don’t be working late tomorrow .
    “ Uh, not tomorrow. I’m off at seven on Sundays.”
    “ Perfect. Let’s meet tomorrow night. Eight-thirty, say?”
    “ But I don’t have a car and the buses—”
    “ No problem. I make house calls.”
    “ Oh. Okay, Father . . . ?” She looked at him expectantly.
    Elation surged through his body, a swift infusion of heat that stiffened his erection. He smiled, gazing at her with wide-eyed innocence.
    “ My friends call me Father John.”
    She recited her address and added apologetically, “I hope you don’t mind the stairs, Father John. I live on the third floor.”
    _____
     
    To the tune of Sinead O’Connor’s plaintive voice, Frank finished his corned beef and cabbage dinner. Irish