Bolden pulled her close.  He kissed her, and his passion struck like a cobra.  His lips and tongue moved with a fierceness that had been so intense; later her lips would be reddened with bruises.  Eliza didn’t pull away.  Her fingers clutched handfuls of his wavy black hair.  Hot tears stained her face but he didn’t see this until he released her from their kiss.  Bolden pulled back and his breaths were hot and heavy.  He burned her soul with his gaze and her heart quicken when he said...

"I love you and I don't give a damn about your past.  You can keep your secrets."

He said it, and he truly meant it.  They slid to the floor, then their hands aimlessly groped, touching and feeling their bodies.  Their lovemaking had been hard, clumsy and passionate.  Bolden emptied his mind, at the same moment he’d released his seed.  They wrapped their arms around each other, quivering in tandem.  When he kissed her, her lips parted accepting the glide of his tongue and its soft gentle touches.  This was how it was supposed to be.  This--the here and now; that’s all that truly mattered because if he were going to have the woman that he loved, he would have to accept that the world was an ugly place, and it was her job to gloss over the ugliness.

**********

Part 3

Chapter 17

Let the chips fall where they may

“Girlfriend you’ve got way to much pep in your step and I know that it isn’t the coffee.  What does Mister tall dark and handsome have planned for today’s mini rendezvous?”

Rachel was pulling on her coat, while Sahara stood off to the side, seemingly oblivious, while she powered down one of the computer stations.  For the past six weeks Ona and Lucien had been seeing each other; and she still couldn’t bring herself to say the word, ‘dating’.  They had been secretly meeting, and in her head this realization was beyond measure.  Everyday something new would occur, and like a budding flower, and after each exploration, Ona felt like she was meeting herself for the first time.  Lucien had been patient with her, never wanting her to feel as if her behavior was inept because truthfully, until meeting him, she’d never been kissed.  She had not held hands with a man and any contact that wasn’t casual generally sent her hormones raging.  In the beginning she had warred with herself, and on one side she would consider her duty to her Sect and her family; then there was Lucien--he was on the other side.  She had tried to tell herself that her actions were wrong.  Each time she left him, rejoining the other members of her Sect, riding the ferry; Ona would politely smile, all the while praying that they wouldn’t ask probing questions.  On the few occasions when her parents called, their remarks were the typical ones.  How are you feeling, are you eating enough, have you heard from Noah; then the conversation would end like every other conversation she’d had with them in the past.

“May the Lord watch over us while we are apart, and may He keep us safe until we are reunited as a family.”

She had ended those calls, thankful that no one in her commune had notified her parents, telling them about her and Lucien.  If her parents didn’t say anything, in her mind that meant that the members belonging to her Sect didn’t know and her behavior had not caused reason to ask questions.  Growing up as a child she’d never lied to her parents and in this instance she found comfort in telling herself that she had not lied; she’d simply chosen not to share this information.  One day Rachel had given her actions a name; she’d raise one brow, then she’d said...”Classic case of don’t ask don’t tell”.  Ona didn’t know if it was that simple, but the principle was sound and it fit her circumstances.  She would think about this whenever she roamed around her family home purposely refusing to consider her parents.  She didn’t want to think about what they would say or how they would react when they’d learned that she’d taken advantage of their trust.  She recoiled when any bad thought entered her mind; that made it easier for her.  She would hum a verse, recite an encouraging reed; until thoughts of Lucien flowed like water.  It didn’t take much for that to happen because after her prayer time, Ona would think of nothing or no one else.  At night when she was alone, Ona would lay awake thinking about Lucien but she never considered outcomes.  Once when she’d cross paths with his sister, she’d seen something strange in her eyes; a stare that had haunted her.  Chantel had not been unkind to Ona but her gaze had been a picture of misgivings.  She also made a point to remind her brother about Marisela and that she would join them at her dinner party.  Ona had remembered this name and she also recalled the first time she’d seen her on the street with Chantel.

Ona rarely talked about her relationship with Lucien, yet Rachel had offered to be her sounding board, primarily because she understood the delicate nature surrounding this choice.  Even though weeks had passed, she was always amazed at how quickly the brain could sum of thoughts using only a few seconds.  Not much time had passed between Rachel’s question and the thundering sound of a crashing object.

Sahara plopped an industrial size three hole punch on the counter, causing both women to gape in her direction.

Rachel slanted her head at an angle.  She pursed her lips and she didn’t mask her annoyance.  She said...

“You don’t have to do that you know.  I told you that I’d take care of the front desk.”

Sahara pulled on one of her locks returning her gaze...

“I don’t mind.  Besides...isn’t someone due to arrive.”

It didn’t pass their notice that her statement had not been a question.  And they also noticed her squinty eyes.  Every week since she’d agreed to see him, one of Lucien’s conditions was that he would stop by the Children’s Center at the close of each day.  Around the center, everyone knew that Lucien Delors made daily visits and they didn’t talk about it because she was a Samaritan, and they didn’t have to be Samaritan's to know that Ona’s choice was an unmentionable subject; plus, every volunteer at the Children’s Center loved Ona and they wanted to protect her secret.  They all hoped that everything would somehow work itself out.  Well, almost all of them.

Sahara had lowered her head, and Rachel glanced at Ona, then she rolled her eyes before saying...

“Did you close down the computers in your office?”

Rachel had created a series of code phrases, and this was one of them.  Everyone knew that Sahara didn’t care much for Lucien, and everyone also knew the reasons for her aversion.

Ona looked at Sahara and she noticed that her attention was fixed on her task.  The opera house was three times the size of the warehouse and the shutdown was triple the time; basically that meant that the place required an all hands on deck methodology.  As a rule, Ona had come to rely on Rachel and Sahara the most.  These women never needed to be asked to help and they would stay as late as Ona needed them.

Ona considered Rachel’s code, when she finally answered her.

“I haven’t closed up my office.  Can you help me Rachel?”

“Girl...you needn’t ask.”

The two women were off, leaving Sahara to abuse the office equipment or kick a wall if it would make her feel any better.  Sahara heaved a sigh, willing her eyes not to raise.  She poured her focus on the desk and the sequence to close out the computer files.  She told herself, as long as she kept her hands busy, they wouldn’t be free to choke a certain insanely rich handsome man.

When the women were alone, Rachel sang a tune, because she treasured her moments alone with Ona.

Rachel said...