“You’re serious?” Adriana asked, already suspicious.

Francisco gave her his signature calm smile, holding the remote in one hand and a small sealed tray in the other. “Completely.”

“You’re really going to inject me during the movie?”

“Ten times,” he said matter-of-factly. “All in your bottom. You won’t know when or how big each one is. And you’re not allowed to look back.”

Adriana narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re turning this into some kind of emotional endurance test.”

“No,” he said gently, setting the tray beside the couch. “I’m turning it into an exercise in trust. And a little bit of fun, if you let it be.”

She hesitated.

But then — slowly — she nodded.

“All right,” she said. “Let’s see if I can handle your idea of ‘fun.’”

⸻

The lights dimmed. The movie started — something light and nostalgic, with bright music and old-timey charm. Adriana lay on her side on the couch, blanket pulled up just enough to keep her warm, but her bottom left completely bare. Her face was pointed toward the screen, and she wasn’t allowed to turn her head.

Francisco had made that very clear.

“No peeking,” he’d said with a playful warning in his voice. “If you flinch or look back, I’ll pause the movie and we start the count over.”

She didn’t want that. So she stayed still. Focused. Waiting.

The first injection came twenty minutes in.

Cold. Sudden.

Adriana gasped, a jolt running up her spine. “You didn’t even warn me!”

“Exactly,” Francisco said from behind her. “That’s the point.”

The second followed not long after — warmer, slower, deeper. She bit her lip, hiding a whimper.

“Was that a bigger one?” she asked.

“Nope,” he lied cheerfully. “You’ll find out later.”

The third and fourth came closer together. One was almost painless — just a soft pinch. The other left a long, slow burn that made her clench the blanket.

“Number five coming?” she asked cautiously.

No answer.

So she turned her attention back to the movie, just in time for a musical number.

Then — cold stab — the fifth arrived low and to the side.

“Francisco!” she yelped, squirming. “You waited for me to laugh!”

“Distraction is effective,” he said, clearly smiling behind her.

By the seventh injection, Adriana was flushed and breathing slowly, adjusting to the rhythm — or lack thereof. Each one brought something different. She never knew if it would be a soft sting or a deep push, a small syringe or a bigger one. All she had was trust. And the screen in front of her.

At number eight, she whispered, “Okay… okay, that one was mean.”

“Chilled to perfection,” he replied.

Number nine came just after, low in her sit spot. She tensed instinctively.

“Last one,” Francisco said. “Don’t move.”

She barely had time to exhale before the final injection slid deep into the opposite sit spot — colder and heavier than the rest.

She whimpered softly, more from the emotional weight of it than the pain.

And then… silence.

But no withdrawal.

She could still feel them — the needles. Still in place.

“Francisco?” she asked softly. “Are they… still all in?”

“Every one of them,” he said gently.

She didn’t move.

Then she heard the click of his phone camera.

“What are you doing?!” she asked, eyes wide even though she wasn’t looking back.

“Capturing the result,” he said, stepping into view and handing her the phone. “You earned this.”

Adriana stared at the photo on the screen.

Ten syringes — neatly spaced, carefully placed — all lined in her bottom like a strange, beautiful pattern. It looked clinical… but also like a badge of courage.

She stared for a long time, lips parted, breath slow.

Then she set the phone down and turned to him.

Without saying a word, she reached up and hugged him — tight, head against his chest.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “You helped me find something I never thought I could feel.”

Francisco brushed a hand over her hair. “What’s that?”

“That this… the injections, the fear, the not knowing… it’s not just tolerable. It’s therapeutic. And it makes me feel brave.”

He held her a moment longer.

Then — with a warm, teasing smile — he eased her gently back onto her side.

Two quick spanks landed on her sit spots, activating the cold ache once more.

“Hey!” she laughed, swatting at him.

“Just making sure you remember how brave you are.”

She rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face stayed long after the movie ended — and long after the needles were gone.