Cardinal Joseph McGregor, Archbishop of Washington, DC, held out his hand for the kneeling Sister Maria Camarillo to place a kiss of obeisance on his ring-of-office.
“Hello, Sister Maria. How are you?”
“I’m quite well, Your Eminence.”
“Certainly, you’re as beautiful as ever, my dear.”
“Thank you, Your Eminence.”
My God, he’s starting already, she thought. I’m glad I got myself wired before I came to see him this time. If he hits on me again , I’ll have the goods on him.
“I hear you’ve been traveling again, Sister.”
“That’s true.”
“Same situation with the hotel reservations, all made by the State Department?”
“Yes, Your Eminence.”
“Separate suites for you and your politician friend Sun Yat-sen”
“If he happens to be traveling with me, yes, Your Eminence.”
“But if your godfather is traveling with you, also, then you and your godfather share the same suite. Is that right?”
“Well, yes, but in that case it’s always a two-bedroom suite.”
“One bedroom for him and one bedroom for you?”
“Yes, Your Eminence.”
“But within the same suite. Right?”
“Right.”
“Being in the same suite, I assume you share part of the same space frequently, do you not?”
“At times.”
“Don’t you find that awkward at times, Sister?”
“Awkward?”
“I mean, you can’t be fully dressed all the time. There must be times when you kick off your shoes and relax together.”
“Occasionally.”
“Ever kick off more than your shoes, Sister Maria?”
“Perhaps. We’re talking about my godfather, you know.”
“Of course. But he is a man, is he not.”
“Yes, he is a man. He’s about sixty years old and I’m only twenty-five.”
“And you’re also a woman, a very beautiful woman. Right?”
“I am a woman. I never think of myself as a beautiful woman.”
“Well, you are aware that men think of you as beautiful, aren’t you?”
“I am aware that men look at me, of course.”
“And now because of my words, you know that I think of you as beautiful, don’t you?
“These are your words and descriptions, Your Eminence, not my words and descriptions.”
“Well, you recall that in our last meeting, I commented something to the effect that I thought of you as beautiful, a beautiful and sexy woman. You recall that, don’t you?”
“I recall that you commented that you thought of me as a sex object.”
“Anything more that you recall?”
“Well, you commented that you thought about having sex with me.”
“Is that what you believe right now, Sister Maria?’
“What? That you’re thinking about having sex with me?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what I believe. You’re looking at me right now, looking at me not so much as a Cardinal looks at a Nun but more as a man looks at a woman.”
“A woman the man wants to have sex with. Right, Sister Maria?”
“Yes. And am I right? Do you want to have sex with me?”
“Yes, I’m thinking about having sex with you.”
“To be candid, Your Eminence, I think you’re looking at me as if I had no clothes on. You are undressing me with your eyes, aren’t you?”
“Do you feel like you’re undressed, Sister Maria?’
“I feel uncomfortable.”
“Because I’m seeing you undressed, seeing you naked?”
“Yes, and all this sex talk.”
“From your statement, you’re telling me that you know what it’s like to be naked and have a man look at you. Isn’t that right, Sister?”
“I know what I feel like right now, and I feel naked.”
“Why?”
“Because of all this talk about my naked body and the way you’re looking at me, you know, looking at me slowly from head to toe and back to head, and looking at everything in between real slow and real close.”
“If I asked you to take your shoes off right now, would you take your shoes off?
“My shoes?’
“Yes. Sister Maria, take your shoes off, please.”
“Right now?’
“Yes. Take off your shoes off right now, please.”
“If I have to.”
“Yes.”
Leaning forward in her seat, Sister Maria slowly slid off one shoe and then the other shoe. “Like this?”
“Very good, Sister. Now, pull your dress up. Just slide your long black skirt up to your knees, please.”
Hesitant, hand shaking, Sister Maria slowly pulled her black skirt up.
“A little higher, Sister. A little higher, please.”
“You’re making me feel very uncomfortable.”
“C’mon, Sister. A little higher. Just pull your dress up so I can see your thighs. Let me see your thighs, Sister. Just do it.”
“This is not right, Your Eminence.”
“This is simply a Cardinal looking at a Nun’s legs, Sister. There’s nothing wrong or immoral in that. You still have all your clothes on, everything but your shoes. Right?”
“Okay.”
“So, now, as a beautiful woman, would you like to spread your legs apart and show me your panties, Maria?”
“I don’t think this is proper at all, Your Eminence.””
“Why? Because I’m still dressed, Maria? Is that it?