The King (The Original Sinners: White Years, #2)(66)

underlined consider three times.

Even her considering spreading for him was better than

not considering it. He’d wear whatever Sam liked if it made

her happy.

He sat on his bed and picked up the phone.

“Tell me it’s good news,” S?ren said when Kingsley greeted

him.

“It’s good news,” he said. “All good.”

Kingsley could hear the relief in S?ren’s breath all the way

from Connecticut to Manhattan.

“Gratias tibi, Deus,” S?ren breathed in Latin. “I have been

praying nonstop for two weeks. If you ever scare me like this

again—”

“I won’t,” Kingsley said. “I have to get tested again in six

months. And six months after that.”

“And?” S?ren prompted.

“And I have to use condoms unless I’m monogamous, which

I’m not.” Kingsley sighed heavily.

“Exactly.”

“Anyway, thank you. For making me get tested. And for

being there.”

“It’s always a pleasure forcing you to do things you don’t

want to do.”

“I like it better when you force me to do things I want

to do.”

“Kingsley. You know—”

“I know. Forget it. I need to ask you something. Have you

heard of these camps where they send gay teenagers to be reoriented?”

“God loves you the way you are, Kingsley. You are created in His image and are fearfully and wonderfully made.” “It’s cute when you think you’re funny,” Kingsley said.

“Now, what do you know about them?”

“Not much except they don’t work. Reorienting therapy

works as well as trying to turn a left-handed person into a

right-handed person. You’re fighting nature tooth and nail.

It’s far more likely to turn a person suicidal than straight.” “It would have made me suicidal.”

“Do I want to know why you’re asking?”

“Long story,” he said. “Does your church have posters of

aborted fetuses hanging up?”

“There was one in the narthex when I arrived here in

March. I made them take it down.”

“How did that go over?”

“I told the objecting church members they weren’t allowed

to post any signs that featured dead children as that seemed to

convey the opposite message intended regarding the sanctity

of life. And might I ask where all these questions are coming from?”

“I talked to someone from the WTL church today.” “Please, don’t tell me I inadvertently turned you into a fundamentalist when I baptized you.”

“That was an attempted murder, not a baptism.” “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Fuller has an office in the city. I stopped by and talked to

an assistant. The church runs reorienting camps. I found out today someone committed suicide at one of them, but the

church was cleared of any responsibility. No charges filed.” “You sound angry. Are you taking this personally?” Kingsley paused before answering.

“Sam was sent to one of those camps.”

“I see. And this upsets you.”

“Sam’s perfect. Yes, it upsets me.”

“Kingsley, don’t look now, but you have a crush on your

secretary.”

“I do not have a crush on my secretary.”

“Methinks the Frenchman doth protest too much.” “My secretary is gay, remember?”

“I’m straight, remember?”

“You told me that once before. I think it was after you’d

f*cked me so hard we broke a spring in the cot.”

“Are you finished with me? I have to check on Eleanor. We

have an Ursuline sister here this week, and Eleanor is giving

her a tour of the church property.”

“This is a cause for concern?”

“Eleanor asked the sister if she wore hole-y underwear. And

if that wasn’t bad enough, she asked the sister if she also had,

and I quote, ‘a hard-on’ for Captain von Trapp.”

“I need to meet this girl. And soon.”

“That is the opposite of what needs to happen. I’m hanging up now.”

“Don’t go yet. I have one final question to ask you. It is

très importante.”

“Fine. What’s the question?”

“Will you come to my party tonight?”





21


THE PARTY WAS TO START AT NINE, AND AT EIGHT fifty-five, Kingsley stood in his bedroom trying to decide if he would f*ck three girls tonight or f*ck one girl three times. He concluded it would be best to split the difference. He would f*ck one girl twice and a second girl once. But the question remained, which girls? Knowing Sam, they might end up in a fight over one.

He heard a soft knock on his bedroom door.

“Come in,” he called out, and Sam entered holding a large box. He would have paid more attention to the box except Sam looked so arresting he couldn’t see anything but her.