Page 27 of Judas

Eliza spread her legs wider now, wrapping them and her hands around Judas' ass and hips to drive him deeper, greedy for the intensity of the pleasure he gave her.

He looked down into her eyes before clasping their lips together, "Eliza… Oh, my Eliza…" Judas' growl of climax was only drowned out by the crashing of the headboard against the wall.

Completely spent, his thrusting slowed and Judas rested his shaking body next to Eliza, both panting in unison. With a quivering hand, he stroked strands of sweat-soaked hair from her forehead, "You are a wonder to behold."

He pulled her trembling body against his as the pair drifted to sleep.

Chapter fifteen

The twinkling of dawn was just starting to lighten the central Texas sky when Eliza's eyes opened sleepily. For a moment, she forgot where she was until her drowsy orbs caught a glimpse of Judas' thick arms still wrapped around her. Her mouth was like a desert and she really needed to pee. Careful not to disturb him, she slipped out of his embrace to find the bathroom and a glass of water.

The thick carpeting felt luxurious under her feet as she quietly pattered to the kitchen. The barely burgeoning daylight brightened the apartment better than the candles that its owner preferred and it was the first time Eliza was able to get a good look at her surroundings.

The unit itself was located in uptown Dallas, just a simple two-minute walk to the Katy Trail. The apartment, perfect for a single person, was a one-bedroom, one-bath open floor plan space with an entire wall of glass that overlooked the city skyline. Eliza knew the general cost for a place like this was nearing a million dollars.

Standing at the farm-style sink of the spacious kitchen, she began to notice unique pieces of artwork decorating the walls. She moved closer to a long piece of stone mounted just above a small bar along the edge of the breakfast nook. Looking closer, she noticed it was actually two pieces, one smaller, oblong in shape hanging over the elongated one. The larger of the two looked as though it was worn smooth from years of use. Eliza remembered a college history class where they studied first-century methods of preparing food. The stones reminded her of pictures of a tool used to hand grind grain. She wanted to touch it to see if it was as smooth as it looked but was afraid it might fall.

The stones piqued her interest and she spent the next ten minutes or so admiring every piece that drew her attention. There were coins in a glass case that could have come from a pirate ship or long ago buried treasure chest. There were statues and face masks from various cultures and old pictures hung along the inner wall of the living room. Eliza suspected they were family photos because a few of the men resembled Judas dramatically.

The entire apartment was like a museum.

Getting a chill over her still nude body, Eliza walked quietly back to the bedroom only to find Judas propped on an elbow, waiting.

"I was beginning to think you got lost," he smirked.

A pleased smile spread across her lips, "Oh…naked and lost. I might need someone to save me." She collapsed onto the soft bedding and allowed him to wrap her body into his. "I was actually admiring your taste in decor. It looks like you've traveled a lot."

Judas narrowed his eyes on her, "Why would you say that?"

"I'm pretty sure those masks are authentic and they aren't something you can just pick up at any home store," she snorted alaugh. "And the pictures? Your family is clearly well-connected…I mean, one of those looks like your great-great-grandfather with President Lincoln.”

She rolled over, pressing her back into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her exposed breasts. Her eyes gazed around the bedroom until they landed on a large rope whip hanging above the door; its nine fingers splayed out exposing the pieces of metal and rocks tied into each one.

"Like that!" Eliza jumped from the bed, pointing to the whip. "That looks…old…Judas." Turning to him, she raised her brow, "What kind of kink are you into?"

Her joke fell on a suddenly sullen face. For a moment she was confused but remembered the white scars from the night before. She turned back to the whip and flipped on the bedroom light. Judas squinted in the sudden illumination.

Eliza got as close as she could to the tool of torture and saw small areas where the old rope was darker than the rest. Tiny dots of deep brown scattered across the objects tied inside it and trailed far into the handle. Turning back to Judas, her face was horrified.

"Is that…blood?" she demanded. Judas sat on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands. "Judas? Is it? Your scars… Did someone… beat you with that?"

His head snapped to face her but he remained quiet.

"I see the scars…tell me. What happened?" she pleaded quietly.

To her surprise, Judas began to laugh maniacally, "You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

He looked to the ceiling considering his next few statements. For over two thousand years, Judas never revealed his true identity to anyone because he knew no one would believe him anyway. He would do anything this woman wanted. He neverwanted to expose his soul to anyone like he did to her. He couldn't explain the hold she had over him but he knew it was cosmic.

But how could he tell her he wastheJudas? The traitor. The one they said sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. The one that lies had been told about for centuries.

"Judas?" Eliza prodded.

His mind went back to that moment at the gala. She had stood before him and told him how she built an entire career around understanding the wrongfully convicted. Her entire self was dedicated to saving those who were innocent. Judas chewed the inside of his lip for a long moment and let his mind imagine what it might feel like to finally be understood.

He thought to himself, ‘Don't make me regret this, Yesh.’

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