Shepherdess without a Flock Ch. 04

Tori asked, "Why's that?"

"I'm about to be yoked to a church as Co-Pastor."

"OH. When's that?"

"As soon as I marry the existing Pastor," replied Dani with a soft chuckle.

"Holy shit, chica!" shouted Tori. "You're getting married?"

"Yep," responded Dani. "I was hoping you could officiate."

"Hells yeah, I can!"

"And, say... While I have you on the phone... Do you have a reliable car?"

"Yeah," said Tori. "It's a Volkswagen."

"Are you ok with same sex marriages?" Dani asked.

"People are people," replied Tori.

"Are you still in Nassau County?"

"No, I'm in Riverhead now. I'm about ten blocks from the college," Tori reported sadly.

"Oh, my God," said Dani. "You're only about forty minutes away from here. I'm in Bridgehampton now. How would you like to make three hundred dollars per plus gas money performing same sex weddings?"

"When can I start?" Tori asked excitedly.

"How soon can you get to Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church?" Dani asked.

"I have a Morals class in twenty minutes," said Tori. "I can't ditch that. It wouldn't be ethical. I can be there in two hours."

"Great," said Dani. "I'll treat you to lunch."

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Dani was standing in front of the church when Tori pulled up in her Jetta. She directed her friend to pull in front of the Manse. They hugged each other tightly once Tori emerged from her car.

"I can't believe you're getting married, chica," Tori said.

"You ready to meet my hubby-to-be?" Dani inquired.

"Shit, yeah, hermana. Lead the way." Tori had a smile plastered on her face. She was very happy for her friend. She was even happier that her friend's good news was also good news for her. Tori loved performing weddings. To make a small fortune performing them would be a wonderful thing. "I am so glad you called me, hermana. This whole thing is a fucking milagro."

"Milagro... milagro... um, miracle?" asked Dani. "How do you figure?"

"I was getting ready to give up," Tori said. Her head drooped a bit.

"And now you won't have to, Tori. Girl, this is a great gig I'm handing over to you. You get to be a church leader without having a church to worry about."

They entered the manse and Gene was waiting for them in the living room. He was wearing a polo shirt and jeans and was seated in the easy chair. He had a closed Henri Nouwen book on his lap. As soon as the ladies entered the room, Gene put the book aside and stood up. He smiled and extended his hand.

"You must be Dani's friend, Tori," he said. "She speaks very highly of you. It's nice to meet you. I'm Gene. You're living in Riverhead these days?"

"Yes, sir. Just outside the eastern campus of SCCC." Tori didn't know why she was suddenly so nervous.

"I see," Gene said. "The highway didn't scare you too much?"

"It was fine," Tori assured him.

"Excellent."

Gene was wearing his poker face. He was not letting any emotion appear on his face. Dani had grown accustomed to this look of his but she knew how unsettling it could be to those who weren't used to it. She looked over at Tori and relaxed as she saw that her friend wasn't phased in the slightest. They spoke about weddings. At first, it was all very general and Dani couldn't tell if Gene was leading up to talking with Tori about the off the books job or about being the officiant at their wedding. Gene could be inscrutable when he wanted to be. It was for this reason Dani never played chess with him. He could be impossible to read.

"You're comfortable with same sex unions?" he finally asked.

"Yes, of course," Tori replied. She earnestly felt that point had already been made clear or there wouldn't have been any point of speaking about the soon to be open position.

"And you're OK with mixed marriages?" he asked in turn.

"Yes," she replied. "All people have the right to happiness."

"That's all I needed to hear," Gene said with a dazzling smile. "You two enjoy your lunch and let me know when we need to start our pre-marital counseling."

The two female pastors went to a small bistro not far from Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church. The atmosphere was light and the ladies took turns catching up. Dani was so happy her betrothed had accepted her friend so completely. Acceptance was still not a familiar concept to Dani and she had been worried that Gene wouldn't like Tori.

It eventually occurred to her that she needn't have worried. Gene loved Dani as much as Dani loved Gene. Gene trusted Dani and her decisions. She should have known he would have been fine with her choice.

Tori seemed to be able to read Dani's thoughts and said, "I'm glad that went well with your novio, hermana. I'm really looking forward to this."

"The job?" Dani asked.

Tori smiled and said, "That, too. I want this job very much. How often do you get paid well for doing the right thing? No, hermana, what I'm really looking forward to is to marry you and your novio. You two love each other so much. I saw it in your eyes and in his. It's exactly what I would have wished for you. A strong, intelligent, man to spend your life with. I'm so happy for you. Have you picked out your bridesmaids yet?"

"Yep," said Dani. "My sister Connie has agreed to be my maid of honor. The other bridesmaids will be my other sister, Betty, and this girl, Sierra, from my old church in Jersey."

"You mean the church you got kicked out of? You're crazy, chica."

"You already knew that," Dani said with a smile. "Sierra just turned 18 and she's wanted a way to thank me for some advice I gave her once."

"So she's going to thank you by coming out to a wedding in the Hamptons. Nice."

"There are worse favors I could have asked her," Dani replied.

"That's true," agreed Tori. "Although this favor has the potential to be pretty bad. Are the bridesmaids going to be in neon pink dresses with puffy sleeves and hoop skirts or something horrendous like that?"

"Sleeveless floor length gowns in burgundy with spaghetti straps."

"Oh," said Tori. "That's not bad at all."

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Tori and Dani spent the next two months making the transitions to their new roles. Dani co-officiated several weddings with Tori so the latter could see exactly what was expected of her. Tori's calendar was quickly filled and she made arrangements to be exclusively an online instructor at Suffolk County Community College. She was given two classes per semester. One was Morality and Ethics and the other was On Death and Dying. The online format was easier for Tori to do than to perform a ton of weddings and try to attend the college at specific times.

Dani spent a lot of time with the elders of the church to learn what was expected of her. She had been fearful at first that these elders would be like the others she had known but it simply wasn't so. These were affluent people, surely, but they had respect for others. They were, as the expression goes, God fearing people. They saw their place in the world and they treated others accordingly. Dani made friends with many of the members of her new church. She never felt friendship in the New Jersey church. She'd always felt like she was naked on a glass slide under a microscope there. She grew to love her new congregation. She never saw judgment in their eyes.

The week before the wedding, Sierra and her mother came to town for Sierra's final dress fitting. Sierra's mother was cordial but somewhat cold to Dani at first. She was, after all, concerned about all the things she'd been told about the blonde Pastor. It took the entire fitting for her to see the truth and dismiss all of the lies.

After the dress fitting, Dani took Sierra and her mother, Charlotte, to lunch at her favorite bistro.

"Oh, Pastor Dani," Sierra said. "You wouldn't believe how much the church has changed since you've been gone."

"Oh?" inquired Dani. She wanted to say something along the lines of, "You mean since you threw me out," but she held her tongue. Instead, she said, "Did Mrs. Masters erect a large statue of herself in the front yard?"

"I'm sure she would have," said Charlotte, "if the Committee On Ministry hadn't come back."

"COM came back?" asked an intrigued Dani. "Why?"

"They did some digging," Charlotte replied. "They found out some interesting things about our elders."

"They found out about the embezzling," piped in Sierra.

"Embezzling?" asked Dani. "Who was embezzling?"

"Who wasn't?" Charlotte and Sierra asked in near perfect unison.

"Do you know how Mr. Amoroso was in charge of maintaining the grounds at St. John's Cemetery?" Sierra asked.

"Yes," Dani replied. "That's why he collected the stipend from them. He used it to maintain the equipment and pay the groundskeepers."

"That's what he was supposed to do," said Charlotte. "Instead, he fired the groundskeepers, sold the equipment, cut the cemetery lawn with his own riding mower, pocketed the monthly stipend and charged you extra for the gas he used."

"Holy crap!" Dani said a little too loudly in the restaurant and the three ladies giggled when heads turned in their direction.

"Yeah, so there was Mr. Amoroso... And they, um, they took his computer to check for pay records and they found a bunch of dirty pictures," said Sierra.

"Dirty pictures of what?" Dani inquired.

"Mostly of him and Mrs. Rogers having sex in the church but there were three pictures of you."

"Me?" Dani asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Sierra answered. "I guess it was obvious from where you were facing that you didn't notice Mr. Amoroso taking your picture through the Manse window as you took off your bra one night."

"Oh, God. I think that was my first night in the manse. I remember him addressing me through the window instead of knocking on the door."

"Could have been. Then, Mr. and Mrs. Masters got caught," Sierra said.

"What did they do?" asked Dani.

"Oh, they were a little subtler, said Charlotte. "They stole money from you and the Supply Preacher. The salary they had listed as what you were being paid did not match up with the money that actually went out. It also looks like they were skimming from the weekly offering. The contribution cards didn't match up with the church's income. Terry Blakely, the Musical Director, was charging too much for weddings and funerals, nearly twice the established rate."

"It looks like Mr. McNulty was the only Elder who wasn't stealing from the church in some way," Sierra added. "Mr. Amoroso admitted his guilt when COM asked him about it. Mrs. Masters denied everything and tried to blame it all on her husband. They looked into it and found her involvement. COM pressed charges and most of our elders went to prison."

"So, what's going on with the church? Did you have to close?" Dani asked. She was incredulous. She had often thought the elders in Williamstown were evil. She never expected it to be true.

"No," said Charlotte. "The Committee On Ministry hired a new Supply Preacher for us and oversaw the election of new elders. The Committee would not allow nominees who already served a vital church function. Tom McNulty was made the new Moderator of Session. The church members Melissa had sent away came back and soon we were taking in enough in the offering to pay the bills."

"Wait," said Dani. "Who did she send away?"

"You know," said Sierra. "The three families she told that you were a whore."

"SIERRA!" Charlotte shrieked.

"What?" said Sierra. "Pastor Dani knows what Mrs. Masters called her. Anyway, the families came back and new families joined and soon COM helped us hire a new pastor right out of Princeton Seminary. Pastor Carley. She's really cool and she established weekly Fellowship."

"Oh, my God, I can't believe it," said Dani. "Why didn't anyone tell me all of this was going on?"

"You had a new life and we figured you were done with our church," said Sierra.

The ladies had a lovely afternoon and Dani hugged her guests before saying goodbye to them. Charlotte could now see what a good woman Pastor Dani was. She felt proud that her daughter had always seen it.

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The wedding was a simple one. Dani's mother and stepfather gave her away. Tori's sermon was, thankfully, short and heartfelt. Much of the ceremony was a blur to Dani. It was funny. She had performed countless weddings and knew the words of institution by heart but she got lost during her own wedding. She almost jumped when the ring was slid on her finger. When her mind returned to earth, she was emotional but loving as she said her vows. The church was filled with love and it resonated through her. Not only was the entire congregation there but so were the friends she had made at Tarabella and the two friends she had from Williamstown.

The reception was held at Tarabella. The wedding photos were taken at the estate's private beach. Dani didn't realize at the time she was doing it but, during the photos, she bent her knees slightly and it almost looked as though she and Gene were the same height.

The love shared between the bride and groom was obvious to all.

Tarabella had been decorated for the reception by Jayne, one of Frank Melar's wives. It was elegant. The wedding colors were prominent and the tables were not crammed together in the ballroom. There was room to walk around and plenty of room for dancing.

Dani and Gene's first dance as wife and husband was to Never Alone by Lady Antebellum. Dani listened to the words as they danced and she cried. She realized she was surrounded by friends and she really was never alone. It touched her. Her sister, Connie, ran up to hug Dani after the dance. She did this to cover up the fact she was cleaning up the makeup Dani smeared with her tears. She looked beautiful for the rest of the reception. That is, of course, until the cutting of the cake when she and Gene smashed cake in each other's faces. This damage to the makeup required Connie to lead her sister out of the ballroom.

When the Van Cleef sisters returned from damage control it was time to toss the bouquet and garter. The bouquet went to a lovely young girl from the Bridgehampton church. She appeared to be nineteen. Dani didn't know her very well because the girl was away at college and did not spend much time at home. She came home for the wedding because she felt she owed her success in life to the teachings of Pastor Gene. The garter was caught by an older man from the church and the girl was a little embarrassed when the garter was slid up her leg. The girl's mother politely stopped the man before his hands went too high up her daughter's leg.

Dani and Gene did their best to greet everyone who'd come to the reception but it was a daunting task. Everyone wanted to sit down and talk to them at great length and there simply wasn't enough time to talk to everyone. There were some people Dani didn't mind sitting down with. Her friends from Tarabella, obviously, had done so much for her that she knew spending thirty minutes talking to them would not be enough. The Melars had given her a roof when Williamstown kicked her out. Friends of the Melars, such as Judge Holly Sullivan, had welcomed Dani with open arms and she could never repay such generosity.

The wonderful thing about having a wedding reception in a mansion is that there is plenty of room for people to sleep over. Marie Melar, Frank's other wife, assured everyone that there was no need to end the reception early. They had prepared a bedroom for the bride and groom and there was plenty of room, food and drink for everyone else. This good news gave the newlyweds the time they needed to sit down and talk to everyone in turn.

It was well after two in the morning when Dani and Gene finally took their leave of the reception and walked to the room the Melars had prepared for them. It was enormous with a gigantic yet comfortable bed in the center. Gene carried Dani over the threshold and they sat on the edge of the bed kissing. They were soft kisses that conveyed all manner of different meanings. We did it! I love you. I adore you. I finally have everything I need.

Dani's hands travelled to her husband's jacket, shirt and tie which she skillfully removed in that order. Dani had never known such love as she felt for Gene. He filled her heart and made her feel complete. She kissed her way down his chest and unbuckled his belt. Gene stopped her and Dani looked confused. He kissed her passionately on the lips and slowly removed her clothing. He kissed her all over her body as he undressed his wife. When Dani was naked and she had been kissed on every part of her body, Gene let her return to removing his belt.

His pants dropped and the new bride tugged hard on his underwear. His cock sprang up and she kissed and licked the head as she teased it out of its foreskin. Dani took her husband's huge cock in her hand and jerked him off as she blew him.

Dani loved the taste of her husband's cock. It was the third dick she'd ever known and it was clearly her favorite. It wasn't just the size, although that was a wonderful factor. She loved the cock because she loved the man so much. He was her entire world now. She wanted to show him exactly what he meant to her. After a slow and loving blowjob had sped up into a passionate celebration of love, Dani relaxed her jaw and throat and took in her husband until her nose was buried in his pubic hair. She remained there for the count of three and then returned to her enthusiastic fellatio.

Before she could get Gene off, he lifted Dani up and carried her to a white sofa that was on the side of the huge room. He laid her gently on the sofa and ate her out. He didn't rush. He was patient and loving. His tongue and fingers worked in tandem to bring Dani some of the greatest pleasure she had ever known. He was gentle but he was passionate. He explored her body carefully, determined to find every secret spot on her and in her that brought her enjoyment. His fingers and tongue delighted, charmed, enchanted, captivated and enthralled her. She lost count of her orgasms.

Dani didn't know if Gene was experimenting on her or if he already knew how to pleasure a woman. Quite frankly, she didn't really care. She had never felt like this before and there was the lingering promise that this was only the beginning of a lifetime of such feelings. During one particularly incredible orgasm, Gene pulled his tongue out of Dani's pussy and his fingers left her clit. Before she had a chance to complain, he slid his middle and ring fingers into her twat. His palm rested on her clit. He curled his fingers inside her and rapidly plunged his hand in and out of her. His index finger and pinky were straight and rubbed her thighs. This new sensation caught the tail end of her orgasm and extended it. More than that, the orgasm changed. It intensified and felt like nothing that had ever built up inside her before. She was sure she was going to pass out. Gene pulled his hand out of her quickly and she squirted. She was breathing hard and wasn't completely certain whether it was cum or pee that had just escaped her. Gene's fingers entered her again in the same way, with the same rapid motion. The overwhelming sensations reemerged and, once again, when Gene removed his fingers she squirted.

"Oh God," was all she managed to say. No one had ever made her feel like that before. This was more intense than any orgasm she had ever known. What power did this wonderful man have over her that he could make her squirt twice in a row? It obviously wasn't an accident.

She wanted to rest but she also wanted to feel more. What Gene did next, Dani never saw coming. His lips headed for her pussy. He kissed her there but did not linger. He lifted her butt and began licking her asshole. His tongue circled her rim and penetrated her in little pushes and flicks and rimmed her again. It was weird but it felt amazing. It was added to a quickly growing list of things she'd never felt before. Frank Melar had licked her ass, but it was not like this.