Page 2 of Remorseless Sinner

I lingered past when I should have, talking about the newest release in my favorite cozy series.

But it wouldn’t be today that William asked me out.

As always, there wassomethingin his eyes.

Something when he said, “Have a good time at church.”

Something that made me think hedidhave an interest in me, that for some reason he wasn’t acting on.

Well, there was always next time.

Then I was driving a little too fast down the hills and into the next town over, where my mom and stepdad lived and we went to church.

The parking lot for the Church of the Holy Eye of Nimhe was crowded, and I eased my car in carefully. The Church was a small, aged dark wood building, roofed with high jagged peaks topped with long-necked symbols of the Eye That Always Watches, that swiveled back and forth in an ever-present inspection, to represent the great serpent who ruled our world.

The church was nestled up against the heavy, overhanging forest, the branches scraping over the roof reminding me of arms reaching out, the eternal reach of the Eye.

“Blessed be the Eye, May the Eye see my goodness,” I recited as I stood outside.

I was running late, so it looked like everyone else was already inside. But I would have to wait for the inspection that had been a weekly occurrence ever since I turned 18.

The biggest Eye made a metallic screech as it detached from the building with a voracious crunching sound, rotating up and down, the great silvery limb winding its way down to my body as the mechanical lid blinked, a whirring green light emitting from inside.

I raised my head to the skies and spread my arms wide, hearing the thick wet hiss of the machine zeroing in on me, then clamping down on the top of my head with dozens of sharp metallic probes.

“May the Eye see me as I truly am,” I said as the machine began to work down my body in concentric circles, combing through my braid with long strokes.

The mechanical device whirred and hissed as it moved down my head, first to the slope of my nose, feeling like dozens of tiny bee stings, then to my lips and throat, the probes circling my neck as the machine let out soft jets of steam.

It moved to my left breast, which the machine arms rotated carefully around.

I had to bite my lip as it passed roughly by my nipple. For the last few years my nipples had been so sensitive, even at times leaking a creamy, sweet-tasting liquid that couldn’t possibly be milk because I had never been pregnant!

I had to resist the thoughts again.

Bodily pleasure is a depravity

You must be zealous to root out impure thoughts

I tightened my thighs together to try to stem the tingling warm sensation there. The strange feeling that always reminded me unwillingly of things I knew were forbidden.

After a few breathless moments, the representative of the Eye moved to my right breast, kneading the full globe with every thin metallic probe, making this nipple tingle painfully with the pressure.

Although I was in a hurry to get inside, the machine circled my breast over and over, each concentric circle winding closer and closer to my nipple, then squeezing with painful intensity over my oversensitive tips.

Did the Eye know?

Did the Eye know what I had done?

Your thoughts are pure, Gracie, I reminded myself. You are a servant of the Eye.

Finally with a creak the machine moved down to my waist, slowly rotating up and down my curves.

I forced my breathing to still, let the representative of the Eye do its work, as it delved past my hips with little nips and pricks on my flesh through my skirt, then between my legs.

Obediently, I spread my thighs a little wider, and the probes ran up and down them, encircling each leg with the scrape of metallic fingers.

I was in a hurry, so I hoped this would be a quick inspection, but there was a loud blare from the speaker atop the church, then a tinny voice trumpeted out,

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