Bad Habits: A Dark Anthology - Yolanda Olson Page 0,26

whispered. “You gave them a gift, Constance. You heard their souls and granted them permission.” Now it was Solomon’s turn to sound all zealous.

I waved his words away—at wherever direction he happened to be—and looked at the clock on the wall. It was getting a bit too late for my comfort. I couldn’t have Sister Hannah be caught with Jack, nor have him anywhere in this room.

Thankfully, Jack came at just that moment, releasing a guttural halleluiah into the Sister’s neck. She shuddered in return and touched his cheek. Her lips were swollen, and even from this light I could see their redness.

It was time to go. “Get dressed,” I ordered the love birds. “Finish your business and go back to work, Jack.” I stood and folded the chair back, leaning it against the wall where I’d found it. When I flicked on the lights, both Jack and Hannah pulled away from each other, their brows furrowed in confusion, both moving slowly in automatic movements as they fixed their clothing back in order. Hannah went back to her chair at her desk, and Jack rubbed his face, looking down at his tablet like it held all the answers.

This was the part I hated. The dumbfounded look when the music stopped, when the curtains closed on the play. They knew something had happened but couldn’t quite puzzle it out enough to take it to task. It was both unnerving and frustrating to me.

“You’re still young, child,” Solomon observed. “There is plenty of time for learning refinement.”

I would have asked him what the hell he was talking about, but I couldn’t in front of Sister Hannah. I needed to act normal—well, normal for me.

“How many packages did you say?” I reminded Jack. He had never said, so I knew it was safe to ask, get him back on the track and all that.

He was slow to wake up, though. “I’m sorry… I…” he sputtered in a dream-like way.

I opened the door, letting in some much-needed fresh air. The smell of sex was just too strong. “I’ll come with you, in case you need a hand,” I said to him, waving my arm in the direction of the storeroom.

Nodding his head slowly, he turned to Sister Hannah. “Right. Well, good day, Sister.” His mega-watt smile slowly returned and he left the room, me at his heels.

“Feeling alright today, Jack?” I asked. I really couldn’t help it. Life was boring, and every little deviation helped.

As I knew he would—he was such an easy-going person, Jack—he laughed. “You know, I don’t know? I think I just need to eat.” He looked at his watch. “Yep. Probably.”

I waited at the counter one more time while he unloaded the truck of our daily deliveries, then I said goodbye to Hannah’s Romeo.

“That was fun.” Sighing, I turned and saw Hannah in her little office, clicking away again.

“You did well, child,” Solomon praised.

I stood up straight. “I did?” Strangely, warmth puddled in my belly at hearing his praise. I wasn’t used to compliments.

“Indeed. And I have a feeling there’s more to come.” He said it so softly I didn’t know whether he’d said the words or not.

One thing was for sure, though. There was something very different about Mr. Voice.

Chapter Two

Later on, Mother Mary Margret stood in the open door of my closet, her hands folded at her ample waist. She looked down at me and shook her head. “Wake up, Sister. We have an appointment. Then dinner. It’s been a long day.”

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and stood up, following her out into the hall.

She locked the door to the janitor’s closet while I straightened my veil, tucking in an errant lock of blonde hair at my temple.

“Sister Hannah said she borrowed you this afternoon, that you did very well with assisting her?” she asked, even though it wasn’t a question.

Shrugging had long been tempered out of my repertoire of manners, so I nodded instead, knowing better than to respond as she continued.

“Perhaps when you return here, I’ll assign you as her official helper.” She looked down her big nose at me and sniffed. “Not sure exactly what Sister Hannah does to make you behave, but whatever it is seems to work, at any rate.”

We walked downstairs to her chambers. Being Mother Superior, she had a sitting room, an office, and a living area. All three combined into what was essentially a small apartment. The elder Sisters had their own rooms, too, but they were only living quarters.