The Damsel in the Congregation: Part 4.
James & Rosalie fell.
Based on a post by KikiKisses. Listen to the ►Podcast at Explicit Novels.
"How did you know? This is the one I've been looking at for months!" Rosalie held it up to her cheek. "James, it's so soft, and the colors!" She lifted it up and looked it over in the lamplight.
"It just made me think of you, and the way you have brightened my life."
"You sweet man, come here," Rosalie said, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him. "Thank you, love. It's perfect."
"Here's another little something."
Rosalie opened the small box with gleaming eyes. When she saw the little scarf clip she smiled broadly and immediately put her gifts on, preening coquettishly. "Now I can carry a little reminder of you always, not that I need reminding! How do I look?"
"Even more gorgeous, if that is possible."
Rosalie handed James two boxes with a twinkle in her eyes. He nervously opened the gift. What if hers was much better than his? What if he hated it and had to feign delight? His fears were assuaged when he opened up the first box. It was an emerald green silk tie. He lifted it up and examined it. He had never worn something so colorful, or so luxurious. He was stunned into silence.
"Do you like it?" Rosalie asked nervously.
"It's almost as beautiful as you."
"I thought it was time you put a little color into your wardrobe. This is my favorite color, and I thought it would bring out the green in your eyes. Now open the next one!"
James was stunned to see a tie bar that matched the sweater clip he had bought for her, a treble clef, minus the rhinestone.
"You see? How often does something like this happen? Your love is like music to me, darling."
James pulled her to him and gave her a long, deep kiss. When he pulled away he saw mischief in her eyes.
"I have one more surprise. Wait here."
Another?
Rosalie disappeared and James sat on pins and needles. She'd already given him two amazing gifts, and he had nothing else to give her. She was always so full of surprises. Just the fact of her was the biggest surprise of his life.
"Close your eyes!" Rosalie called from across the houses. James's heart began to race. "Open them!" James's eyes flew open, and then his mouth. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Rosalie stood in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen wearing a Santa Hat, a red satin bra and panties, and nothing else. She posed with one arm in the air and the other on her hip, her knees bent provocatively. She then walked over to the hi-fi and put a record on. The song "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt filled the room, and Rosalie began to dance, wiggling her hips, jiggling her tits, rotating her hips and bumping out her bottom. She would get close to James, and then just as he reached out for her she'd slink away.
She winked, and unhooked her bra, draping it on his head and then around his neck and dancing away when he tried to touch her. Then came the panties, which she threw at his face, and landed in his lap. He was dumbstruck. Finally, she crawled into his lap and began to leave red lipstick kisses on his face, down his neck, as he groaned and stroked her hair. She continued unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it off him, pulling off his undershirt as she continued her descent down his chest and belly, tugging off his boxers and pants before lowering her head and licking him like a peppermint stick.
Remember, Rosalie had a secret, and only James knew it.
She was a very, very sexy girl.
Rosalie's Song
"I'm late, James."
Rosalie said this very matter of factly. She had no compunction about this news whatsoever, no fear.
James rubbed his head. They knew this was a possibility. The first time they made love they decided it didn't matter what happened, they were in love, and threw caution to the wind. But when it was over he realized it might have been a good idea to think things through a bit. They decided to try rubbers, which he had taken a bus to the next town over to purchase, and they both found the experience less than ideal. So he resorted to pulling out. But it probably happened the very first time.
"I'm not upset. Are you?" Rosalie smiled, pushing the hair off his forehead that had fallen into his eyes.
Six weeks ago James had finally allowed himself to love, and be loved. And what a woman to be loved by! Rosalie was full of surprises. She had always seemed quiet, and full of an un-namable sadness. It turns out she was only quiet and sad because she was lonely, and she wanted James. And when he realized he was shutting out happiness for no good reason, suddenly both of them had plenty to say, and plenty to be ecstatically happy about.
The first day he stayed at her house 'til midnight, and had to force himself to leave. He had to lead the music at church the next day, and needed his rest. He got absolutely none. He called her as soon as he got in the door to tell her he had gotten home safe, and they stayed up another hour just whispering and longing and planning for the next time they would see each other, which was only hours away. The rest of the night he laid awake, remembering everything that had happened the day before.
On Sundays he always sat in the front pew so he would be close when it came time for him to play the organ, or direct the choir. She always sat in the middle. He wondered where he should sit, where she wanted to sit, were they going to be obvious or keep their relationship a secret?
Rosalie made the decision simple. She sat in the front row, and when he sat down she sidled up to him. Not as close as she would have liked, but she touched his hand and he laced his fingers through hers. When church was over she put her arm through his, waving to the rest of the young singles who always gathered together, and left with her head on his shoulder. Everyone was dumbfounded. James looked a little dazed, himself. Only Rosalie smiled as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and eagerly whispered in his ear "Your place, or mine?"
His house was very near the church, and he decided he'd be more comfortable on the outskirts of town. It was a moot point, really. The town wasn't very big, half of the residents went to their church, and before the day was out the other half would know they were seeing each other. It took a good twenty minutes to walk to her house, and by the time they reached her front door she yanked him inside and kissed him so hard his glasses were knocked askew.
James had never dated anyone, and Rosalie had very limited experience. He was 27, she was 23, and all the lust that had been building up inside of them since puberty came roaring out like a fire hose He waited for her when she got off work everyday, and soon they decided that since his house was closer they would just go there, gossip be damned.
They walked hand in hand, walking faster and faster the closer they got, til they could see the house in the distance and they began to sprint. The minute the door shut they began to frantically undress each other for a quick, ecstatic fuck, knowing that once they had gotten it out of their system they'd be able to enjoy a slower, more sensual one later.
Rosalie was never so happy as when James was inside her. Between her legs or inside her mouth; it didn't matter. James had never even considered such a thing, but Rosalie had heard of it and decided to surprise him, and found out she enjoyed it as much as he did. They made love twice every night of the week, four times on Saturdays and three times on Sundays. She was insatiable, and he was exhausted, but since he had wasted a good ten years of his life not making love, and one year not making love to Rosalie, he figured he'd better catch up.
In between times they cooked simple meals, he played the piano for her, and they talked, learning all the things you learn when you get to know someone, and start to fall in love. They got it all out of order, but thankfully her intuition was right, and their desire for each other's bodies matched perfectly with the communion of their souls.
So they talked, and fell more deeply in love, which led them straight back to bed, or over the kitchen counter, or on the living room floor, or wherever else they found themselves when lightning struck. He walked her home every night, for the sake of propriety, and it was an absolute misery to say goodbye. They wanted nothing more than to talk until their eyes were heavy and fall asleep to the music of each other's breath.
He knew he was going to ask her to marry him, of course he was. But it was the question of when. He needed to save for a ring, of course. Would they live in her apartment, or his little rental house? And what about children? She wouldn't be able to work if they had little ones, and they'd have to take that into account. He didn't want to spoil their little love bubble with logistical questions. Not yet.
It was New Years Eve and everyone else was at a party at the church, wearing hats and blowing into noisemakers. They had stayed for a little while, but at midnight when they kissed, they were back in his bed, having just finished another delicious round of lovemaking. It was then that she made her announcement.
"Well?" She stroked his chest, and looked at him warmly. Her big brown eyes were his kryptonite.
"We knew this was a possibility." He pulled her close, her head on his shoulder, and stroked her hair.
"Are you upset?"
James looked at the ceiling. "Of course not. I am a little worried, but; no. I'm not upset."
Rosalie kissed his jaw. "Good, because I've wanted to have your baby for a long time."
"I guess I'd better go talk to Reverend Russell."
"I guess you should."
Rosalie made an appointment with her doctor the very next day. He had to send her urine off so it would take more than a week to find out for certain, but she explained her symptoms and he did a brief examination, and told her more likely than not, she was pregnant. James took some time that morning to get up the nerve to go talk to the reverend, finally taking the five steps or so it took for him to walk from his desk to the pastor's office next door, and knocked on the door frame.
Reverend Russell looked up with a smile. He was very fond of James. He would have treated him like a son, except for James's reticent nature. So he kept their relationship formal, but made sure James knew he was appreciated by him and the whole church. He nodded at James to come and sit, and was a little surprised to see James close the door. This must not have been just a question about order of service.
"What can I do for you James?
James swallowed. He hadn't talked about Rosalie with anyone, there was no one for him to talk to. He had no friends, and he barely had a family, and he certainly wasn't going to call his mother long distance just to hear her tell him, once again, what a disappointment he was to her.
"Well, uh, sir, I guess you probably know I've been seeing Rosalie."
Reverend Russell tried not to beam at James. He was very happy to see this young man entangled with such a lovely girl, and he felt that fatherly swell inside, but tried to keep it professional.
"Indeed. I think everyone has noticed. And we are all very happy for you. Rosalie is a fine girl, and you two make a lovely couple."
James smiled slightly and his cheeks reddened.
Reverend Russell continued. "I think everyone knew she was rather sweet on you for a while."
That's the kind of information that, at one time, James would have found humiliating for no reason at all. He was starting to realize that the fact that a beautiful girl was in love with him wasn't something to hide. He wondered where he'd ever picked up the notion. He smiled a little more.
"Yes, well; sir. We'd like to get married."
Reverend Russell pretended to be solemn. "Rather soon, don't you think?"
Now James really was embarrassed. He looked up at the ceiling before answering. "Well; uh; I've known her for a year. I'm older than her, you know. A lot of guys my age have already settled down. We really don't want to wait. When you find the right person;"
"Alright then. What were you thinking? June? Everyone loves a June bride."
James shifted uncomfortably.
"Well sir; we were hoping as soon as possible."
Reverend Russell cocked his head and gave James a knowing look.
"It; needs to be as soon as possible." James looked up at him, pleading silently.
"I see." Reverend Russell sat back and folded his hands.
"I understand if you don't want to; we can just go to the courthouse; I just know she'd prefer it here." Suddenly James sat up very straight. "You aren't going to fire me, are you?"
Reverend Russell chuckled. "No, son. I'm not going to fire you. 'No temptation has overtaken you except that which is common to man.' You aren't the first couple in the world, or even this congregation, to put the cart before the horse, so to speak."
James relaxed. "I'll go see about getting the license, and I'll let you know." He started to get up.
Reverend Russell indicated he should stay, and James looked at him curiously, but sat back down.
"How long have you been here, James?"
"Five years, sir."
"And you plan to stay here at this job and in town?"
"Yes sir. I never thought about going anywhere else."
"You've done a fine job, James. The choir has never sounded better, and your organ playing is top notch. We're all very thankful for you." Reverend Russell paused, took off his glasses and polished them while he spoke. "It's about time you got a raise." James's eyes widened.
"Now, we aren't a wealthy church, but our parishioners are faithful givers, and it doesn't hurt that there are only two churches in town." He chuckled. The Baptist church could have hardly been more different. James wondered what his situation would be if he had landed a job there. Well, he wouldn't have met Rosalie, anyway.
"The board and I have already discussed it. Five years is long enough without a bump in pay, and we could all see you and Rosalie weren't a little fling. I don't think we were expecting you to get married so fast, but it doesn't change anything." He told James the amount, and tears sprung into James's eyes.
James wasn't one for outward emotion. Indeed, he had stuffed his down for so long he scarcely knew he had any at all, until Rosalie. Now here he was, tearing up in front of his boss! It did not go unnoticed by Reverend Russell. The raise was enough that he felt less worried. Reverend Russell stood, and put his hand on James's shoulder. "Now, young man, why don't you get to the courthouse and find out about that license."
James hurried to the courthouse and learned he and Rosalie could obtain one and be married the same day, if they wanted. Her office was on the square so they could go register for one over her lunch. He then went into a dusty old pawnshop, and asked to see the rings. He found an older set with a simple design. The diamonds weren't very big, but it was what he could afford. Besides, Rosalie was a tiny thing, and anything bigger would swallow up her hand. He hoped she would like it. He thought it was pretty, even if the style was old-fashioned. She was unique, she wouldn't want the same ring as every other girl. The man's band was very plain, and it fit him without any adjustments. James wrote a check for the full amount, and left with a small velvet box burning his hip.
"Is Saturday alright?"
Reverend Russell smiled at James. "Yes, I have time in the afternoon. Do you know what you want as far as a service goes? Who your witnesses are? I supposed you aren't going to play the organ at your own wedding."
The color drained from James's face. A wedding. Not just signing papers. Of course. He didn't have any idea what Rosalie wanted. He assumed she wanted to get married as soon as possible. Did she want a wedding dress? A bridesmaid? Did he need a new suit? Did she want to invite the whole church? This could take time, time he wasn't sure he had. When do women start to show? He remembered someone slyly saying "The first baby can come at any time. The rest take 9 months."
"I; I'll ask her. Thank you."
James sat and pondered for a bit. He had the rings, but now he realized that he really ought to officially propose. He was a man of few words, Rosalie did most of the talking. It didn't matter that he knew she'd say yes. He wanted to be romantic, to really show her how much she meant to him. He'd get down on one knee, of course. That's what you did, even though he had no idea why.
Both of her parents were dead, there was no one to ask for permission. Rosalie would have laughed at that anyway. She had made up her mind a long time ago that James was the one for her, and not even James had the power to stop her. "Thank God," he thought, smiling.
God. James was never really sure if he believed in God or not. He was raised in church, so the rhythms were familiar. He had lived a virtuous life simply by not having much interest in vice of any kind. The only real sin he had committed as an adult was premarital sex, and it really only bothered him because, at least on the outside, the world frowned on that sort of thing. But it didn't worry his conscience at all. He attended church because it was his job, and he probably wouldn't miss it if he didn't go.
Rosalie was different from him. She too, had no guilt about pre-marital sex, but it was because she considered love a gift that she had been denied too long to worry about formalities. Adam and Eve weren't married by a Reverend, after all. She was an orphan, and the church had taken her in after the death of her parents. And she loved it. She loved the opportunities to volunteer, socializing with the pleasant young people, and sitting in contemplation. The first thing she did when she moved to their small town was look at the two churches available to her, and pick the one that felt like home.
"It didn't hurt that the organist was a cute, shy little man who looked like he needed someone to wrap him up and feed him soup." She hugged him as she giggled, and he laid his cheek on the top of her head and squeezed her back. He didn't know he needed that, how did she? She knew everything.
Somehow, when she looked at the job board at her secretarial college, she saw clearly that this little town was where she belonged. Some place she'd never heard of. And so she got on a Greyhound bus. "Leap of faith," she said as she kissed him. She had found her home, and her love. "Of course I believe in God. He gave you to me. It just took you a while to hear that still, small voice."
Suddenly James knew exactly how he wanted to propose, but he was still tied up in knots about the wedding. He wanted to give her whatever she wanted. She would look so pretty in a white veil and dress, like she was walking in from the mist. Was she even allowed to wear white?
James had played the organ at many weddings, but they always sprung fully formed in front of him. He had never once thought about planning. He'd never even planned a birthday party. Whenever he was needed for an extra activity at church they just handed him some sheet music and told him when to show up.
When Rosalie got off work he was waiting for her as always, this time with a little bouquet of flowers. He had never bought a girl flowers before, but this sweet nosegay caught his eye. It had a variety of small, colorful little buds that reminded him of her bright, warm apartment. Her face lit up and she gave him a lingering kiss that made his ears turn red. For all their athletics in the bedroom, they had never kissed in public.
"Dr. Bishop sent off a test to be sure, but he's pretty certain." James nodded, squeezing her hand. He kept patting his pocket to make sure the ring was still there, and the other box that held the wedding bands.
"I talked to Reverend Russell today."
Rosalie smiled, casting her head down. She had been on the edge of tears all day and this almost sent her toppling. Before they were together, indeed her entire life, her large brown eyes were almost always on the verge. Now they were happy tears, but she didn't want to spoil her makeup. It was always a little embarrassing, how easily she cried.
"The good news is, I'm not fired."
Rosalie stopped dead in the middle of the street. "James! Did you think you might be?"
"I; I wasn't sure. I was concerned getting a parishioner pregnant out of wedlock might be against the code of conduct I had to sign when I was hired."
Rosalie started walking again, tugging at his arm. "Maybe for the Baptists. Although they certainly let the men get away with just about anything as long as they pretend to be contrite on Sunday. All that fire and brimstone, but you see them stumbling out of the pool halls in a cloud of smoke just the same. And look at their poor wives!" Rosalie shook her head. "We just got a little ahead of ourselves, that's all."
They reached the sidewalk and she pulled him in for another kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and held it even longer than before. Maybe he should propose after they make love. They had a routine after all, and their bodies were already gearing up.
When they reached the house she was expecting, as always, for James to press her body against the door as it slammed shut; a flurry of buttons and zippers punctuated by the sounds of feverish groaning before he pushed her skirt up, lifting and bracing her as she wrapped her legs around his waist before he fucked her senseless.
But today he kissed her tenderly and pulled away. He took her coat, and hung it up next to his in the small hall closet, and walked quietly across the room.
He went to sit at the piano, and patted the bench to ask her to sit next to him. He started to play a song; soft, sad, and romantic, full of longing and tenderness that slowly moved into passion, and then back again.
"I don't know this one," she whispered. "I love it."
"It's called 'Rosalie'."
Her hand went to her throat as she tried to push her heart back into her chest. It had leapt up, and was pushing the tears out of her eyes. She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket.
"How did you find time to write this?" She sniffled. "We're always together."
"I started writing it the day I met you. I went home after church, and I just itched. I don't compose often, but I had to get this one down. I refused to admit to myself that it was for the beautiful, tiny wisp of a girl with the huge, sad, brown eyes sitting in the middle of the pews, all alone. I've been working on it off and on, but I finally decided it was finished a few days ago."
"Can you play it again?"
He nodded, and played it through one more time. She was weeping by the end, and he picked up both of her hands and kissed them.
"I'm not sad." She blew her nose. He laughed. "I know, sweetheart. I know you now."
To be continued. Based on a post by KikiKisses, for Literotica.