Love the story.

Wow, I just read the whole story and really enjoyed doing so. It is exceptionally well written!

Thank you very much and please keep on writing such brilliant stories!

Awesome story!! I love this!! You are a great writer!

I wish there was a movie of this... So hot

Since I read the other story I thought to check and see if you had some more written. Finding those two was a nice surprise. Great stories, very well handled and written. Good description and the emotion is flowing perfectly. Very very good! Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

Excellent! Love the different positions and skin exam.

I hope you write more of their story.

Great story, thanks! But I wish she would have needed an injection!

Oh lily thank you so much for the sequel! It was an amazing piece of writing as always :)

Great job, Excellent story.

@ LilyAnn--So descriptive & wonderful conclusion...Karma to you.

Nice

(Part 10)

He lubricated his fingers again, then looked at her. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded. "Okay," he said. "Here we go." He inserted his middle finger slightly into her rectum first, followed by his index finger into her vagina, before pushing them both in all the way. She could feel him squeeze the two fingers together as he checked the tissues in between, then he placed his left hand back on her abdomen and pressed down as before. The sensation was different this time, but still made her pulse quicken and her breathing heavier. She again looked away from him, hoping he couldn't tell. "You're doing great, Carrie," he said. "Almost done." A moment later he was finished, and he removed his fingers. "You can go ahead and close your legs now," he told her as he removed his glove. She was happy to finally get out of the humiliating frog leg position. "But we're not quite done yet," he added.

She laughed incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Just one more thing, I promise," he said.

She rolled her eyes, more in amusement than annoyance. "Okay," she said, "you're the doctor."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm glad you're finally figuring that out!" She stifled a giggle, and could see him trying not to smile.

"All right," he said, "so the last thing I want to do is try the speculum in another position, so I can see a little bit better." Her heart raced, and she tried not to let him see that she was actually looking forward to this.

She gulped. "Okay." She did wonder what this new position could possibly be.

"I'm going to need you to turn over and get on your elbows and knees for me," he instructed.

Her eyes widened as her face flushed. "Are you serious?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

She covered her face with her hands. "Okay." She was embarrassed, but also curious what this would be like. She got into position as he had asked, while he retrieved a new speculum from his bag and pulled on another clean pair of gloves.

"Spread your knees a little bit more for me," he said. "All right, good girl." She smiled, glad he couldn't see her face in this position. She felt his fingers spread her open, then the cool metal of the speculum. "Here we go," he said. He slid the speculum in with ease, then opened it to the same width as before. She breathed deeply, but noticed that it wasn't quite as uncomfortable this way. What was uncomfortable, but also oddly exciting, was the fact that being face down meant she couldn't see him or what he was doing. She felt completely at his mercy, and had to place all her trust in him. She didn't know when he was looking inside her, or how long he stared. All she could do was stay there and wait until he told her he was finished. "Okay," he said, finally. "You did great. The speculum's coming out now." He gently removed it, then wiped her clean with a tissue. "Okay, don't move," he told her.

She stayed perfectly still as she heard him peel the gloves off his hands. Placing a hand on her back, he said, "You know what you have coming, don't you, Carrie?"

She knew. "Yes," she squeaked.

"How many?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"You get one for not wearing sunscreen and allowing yourself to get burned like this." His hand sharply met her backside, causing her to jump. "Three for the number of times you tried to cover yourself." Three more strokes. She whimpered. "And one for arguing with me about the rectal temperature." The last one seemed to sting the most.

"I'm sorry," she said solemnly.

"Good," he replied. "Go ahead and turn on your back." She got off her knees and elbows, and lied on her back once again. He covered her with the sheet and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be right back." He left the room, and returned a few moments later with another glass of water. "You need to drink some more." Cradling her neck, he helped her sit up before handing her the glass.

"Thank you," she said. She drank the water while Devin cleaned up. She smiled to herself as she watched him. Though he may have an unorthodox way of showing it, she knew he cared for her very deeply. And she could get used to this.

When Devin had finally finished cleaning up, he found Carrie had finished the glass of water he had given her, and had promptly fallen asleep. Smiling, he turned off the light, then walked around to the other side of the bed where he lay down beside her. Propping himself up on his elbow, he rested his head in his hand. He used his other hand to push Carrie's hair behind her ear, then rested it on her waist as he watched her sleep. She opened her eyes, and when she saw him lying there, she smiled and moved in closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her and laid his head down, and the two of them slept there until morning.

(THE END)

(Part 9)

He repositioned the chair, placing it facing her against the side of the bed, alongside her upper legs, then sat and pulled on a pair of gloves. "All right, Carrie," he said. "Bend your knees and keep your feet together on the bed. Now keep your feet there and just let your knees fall open."

Maybe she was wrong. This might be more embarrassing.

"Okay, I'm just going to check the outside first." She felt his fingers and thumbs gently spread her open. He seemed to be inspecting her a lot more thoroughly than last time, and she squirmed a little as it felt like her skin was being stretched as far as it would go. "It's all right, Carrie," he said. "I know it's a little uncomfortable. I'm just making sure I get a good look at your skin." He ran his fingers through every fold of her outer and inner lips, pinching, stretching, sending waves of nervous energy coursing through her.

Without warning, she felt his finger slide into her vagina, and she gasped. "It's okay," he assured her. "You're doing fine." He rotated his finger, applying pressure in each direction, making sure she didn't feel any pain. "Can you squeeze my finger with your pelvic muscles?" he asked. She blushed, but did as he asked. "Good girl," he said. Her heart fluttered, and she realized she was starting to rather enjoy him calling her a good girl.

Devin withdrew his finger, and picked up a speculum which she hadn't seen him take out of his bag earlier. At first she wondered why he would have brought that with him on his trip, but immediately she realized he had planned this all along. She stifled a chuckle as she realized she wasn't angry or even surprised. She noticed him trying to read her face. "What?" she said. "It's pretty clear what's coming next, and I know I don't stand a chance of talking you out of it."

It was his turn to chuckle, and she could tell he was amused. "Okay then," he said. "Are you ready?"

With a defiant yet also mischievous glare, she replied, "Not really, but go ahead."

He chuckled again, then went back into his serious doctor mode. "All right, sweetie," he said. "A little pressure." He inserted two fingers and pressed down against her back vaginal wall, then with his other hand guided the speculum in, handle pointed upward to avoid hitting the bed. He slowly and gently opened the device, slightly wider than he had the first time. "You okay?" he asked.

Carrie nodded. It was uncomfortable, maybe even hurt a little, but that new part of her was taking over, and she wanted this. Wanted to submit to him, and let him push the limits of her comfort, knowing that he would never take it too far or allow her to be harmed.

Using a penlight for illumination, Devin bent down and peered into the wide-open speculum. A hot wave of embarrassment shot through her entire body. This was definitely worse in this position. As if he had sensed her discomfort, he reassured her. "It's okay, Carrie. There's nothing to be embarrassed about." When he was finished examining her cervix, he carefully withdrew the speculum, triggering a sigh of relief from Carrie as her vagina no longer felt stretched to its limit. "You're doing great," he assured her.

After setting the speculum aside, Devin applied lubricant to his right index and middle fingers. "Okay, hon, I'm going to check your uterus and ovaries now." He inserted his fingers, gently at first, then more firmly pushed them in as far as they would go, causing Carrie to tense up. "I know, sweetie. Relax," he told her. He placed his left hand on her abdomen and began to press down, palpating all of her reproductive structures between the fingers of his two hands. Just like last time, in spite of the slightly uncomfortable pressure, she felt pleasure and arousal that was difficult to hide. Her breathing grew heavier. Devin looked up at her face as if trying to read what she was feeling, and she quickly averted her eyes. She hoped he couldn't see the truth. He finally withdrew his fingers, leaving her relieved but also wanting more.

"Very good," he said as he removed his gloves. When he placed a new, clean glove on his right hand, she looked at him quizzically. "We didn't do this part last time," he said, "but we're going to do what's called a rectovaginal exam now. I'm going to insert one finger into your rectum and one into your vagina."

She didn't respond or try to argue. She had already had his fingers in both places, so having them in both places at the same time couldn't be much worse.

(Part 8 )

"Okay," Devin said as he came back into the room. "Let's finish your exam."

"What else is there?" Carrie asked, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to argue with his answer, whatever it was.

"I need to finish looking over your skin," he said, "since it seems you might have a habit of not protecting it. And I'm going to do a breast exam, since something tells me you haven't been doing that either."

She looked down at her hands. "Okay."

He pulled the kitchen chair close to her bedside and sat down. "Let me see your arms," he said. She unfolded her hands, which had been resting on her abdomen, and offered them to him. He took her hands in his and looked her arms up and down, rotating her wrists in each direction. "Okay, put your hands up behind your head." She obeyed, and he proceeded to inspect under her arms, both visually and running his fingers over the ticklish skin, causing her to squirm.

Without a word of warning, he began to palpate one of her breasts, sending a wave of goosebumps and butterflies, nervousness yet excitement, through her body. He covered every inch of her breast, pressing in light circles followed by deeper ones, applying such firm pressure over the nipple area that she winced from the mild pain. "I know that's a little uncomfortable. I'm sorry," he soothed. After lifting the breast to view the skin underneath, he repeated the entire process on the other side, again apologizing as he pressed and squeezed her nipple firmly.

Initially she was glad he was finished causing her what seemed like unnecessary pain. But to her surprise and confusion, a part of her wanted him to keep going. She couldn't explain what it was that appealed to her about letting him inflict just enough pain to make her gasp but not physically harm her. And it never had appealed to her until this moment. Was something changing in her, or had it always been there just waiting to be drawn out?

Devin pulled her back out of her thoughts. "I'm going to take the sheet now so we can check your legs," he told her. He stood and pushed the chair out of the way. As he uncovered her, she pulled her arms back down from behind her head, folding her hands at her waist. Standing bent over the bed, he surveyed her legs from thigh to toe, front, outside, and inside. He ran his fingers along her inner thighs, sending chills up her spine, before raising each leg one by one to view the back.

Finally, with both of her legs once again flat on the bed, Devin pulled the chair back over and sat down beside her. "Okay, Carrie," he said, placing his hand on top of hers. "We agreed that I'm in charge, right?" She nodded. "And you know I would only do what I think is best for you." She nodded again, not sure if she was liking where this was going. "You told me that night at the reunion that you had avoided routine exams for so long because being examined makes you uncomfortable."

"Yes," she replied nervously.

"And I'm guessing that's especially true when it comes to pelvic exams, considering you'd never had one until I did one that night."

Now she knew exactly where it was going. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Yes."

"Okay," he said. "So even though it's only been a couple of months, we're going to do a pelvic exam now, because I think you need to get used to them so you don't avoid them in the future."

She sighed. It was hard to argue with him. She probably would keep avoiding them as long as he wasn't there to pressure her into it. And as much as the idea of Devin touching and looking at her most intimate areas still embarrassed her, a tiny part of her was just a little bit excited by the notion. She remembered the unexpected arousal she had felt during the last exam, and she wanted to feel that again.

"It's going to be a little different this time," he told her. "Instead of bringing a bunch of chairs in here to rest your feet on, we're going to try a different position, okay?"

She nodded. She figured there couldn't be any position more embarrassing than her backside hanging off the edge of the bed with him sitting between her knees.

(Part 7)

"Ugh, fine." She rolled onto her side, reminding herself that she was trying to let herself surrender to him. Closing her eyes, she took a few cleansing breaths.

"Good girl," he said softly, which made her heart skip a beat. She waited nervously as he snapped on gloves and lubricated the thermometer. When she finally felt him spread her cheeks, she got goosebumps again. "It's okay," he reassured her. She jumped when the cool tip of the thermometer touched her. "Relax," he said as he gently eased it in.

"I'm trying," she said.

"You're doing fine." He allowed her cheeks to close around the thermometer, and placed his now free hand on her hip, gently rubbing it with his thumb. She sighed softly. His hand felt nice there. She noticed his other hand seemed to be rotating the thermometer back and forth, which she wasn't sure was necessary. It felt strange, but not entirely unpleasant. Finally removing the thermometer, but with his hand still on her hip, he told her, "Stay here. I'm going to do a quick rectal exam."

"What? Why?!"

"Because I said so, Carrie." His tone tried to imply irritation, but she could tell it wasn't real. She remembered that he said he enjoyed her defiant streak. Maybe she was even playing into that a little bit.

She whined.

Speaking more gently, he said, "I always do a rectal exam after taking a temperature. It just gives me a chance to make sure everything is okay in there. Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He lubricated his finger, then spread her open again. "All right, hon, here we go." He gently pressed his fingertip against her until the muscles relaxed, allowing it to enter. She breathed deeply and heavily. "Deep breaths," he said. "You're okay." She felt his finger rotating and curling in every direction. It wasn't a terrible sensation, if she could get past the embarrassment of having a finger in her behind. "Okay, Carrie, all done," he told her. "It might feel a little funny coming out." She remembered this sensation from the last time -- feeling like she was going to the bathroom against her will.

"All right," he said, removing and discarding his gloves. "You can turn onto your back." He picked up a nearby sheet and draped it over her. "Before we go any further, we need to get you hydrated and get your temperature down." She wondered how much further there was to go. "Stay here," he said. "I'll be right back."

He returned after a couple of minutes with a large glass of ice water, two ibuprofen, and a bottle of aloe vera gel. He set the items down on her bedside table, then helped her sit up. He handed her the water and the ibuprofen. "Take these and drink as much as you can," he told her. It wasn't hard to drink down the entire glass of water -- she was extremely thirsty. Opening the bottle of aloe, he said, "Okay, let the sheet down so I can put some of this on you."

She thought about arguing that she could put the gel on herself, but she restrained herself. She rather liked the idea of him applying it, anyway. She let the sheet fall to her waist, and watched him as he squeezed the gel onto his fingers, then began to rub it onto her chest and shoulders. She sighed softly. For the first time, she truly didn't care about her lack of clothing. The aloe felt so good on her sunburn, and his hands felt so good on her body.

Devin smiled as he continued to massage the gel into her skin. He knew she was finally starting to enjoy herself.

"Lean forward," he said. She complied, and he continued to rub the cooling gel over her neck and back. "Feel better?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Good." Putting the cap back on the bottle, he said, "Lie back down for me. I'm going to go wash my hands and I'll be right back." She did as he told her, keeping the sheet at her waist but not bothering to pull it back over her torso.

(Part 6)

Devin placed his hands against the sides of her ribcage, thumbs on her back. "Take some more deep breaths for me," he ordered. He felt the movement of her ribcage as she breathed, checking that the movement was equal on both sides. Though she was still uncomfortable with the idea that he could be staring at her butt, she noted that having his hands on her sides like that felt quite nice. "Okay, that's good," he said. "Just breathe normally now." He ran his fingers down her spine, checking the alignment as he visually inspected her skin at the same time. When he reached her tailbone and then felt her hips, she felt her face heat up as her pulse quickened. She bit her lip and squirmed as he seemed to linger here. "Relax," he commanded. Her eyes widened and she squeaked as he then spread her buttocks apart, checking every fold of her skin. "Relax, Carrie," he repeated.

"Just please tell me you're almost done," she pleaded.

"We're done with your backside," he said, lightly rubbing the small of her back. "Go ahead and lie on your back for me."

She obeyed, trying unsuccessfully to cover both her breasts and her pelvic region as she did so. "Carrie, stop," Devin chided as he gently took her arms and placed them at her sides. "You don't have any reason to hide from me."

She knew he was right. After all, he was a doctor -- a professional. And for that matter, if their relationship was going to progress, she would have to get comfortable with him seeing her at some point. She took another deep breath and blew it out through pursed lips, willing herself to relax. "That's it," he told her. "Just breathe. You're okay." She smiled at him. She did love when he talked to her that way.

He smiled back and patted her hand, then took the stethoscope from around his neck and placed it back into his ears. "Just breathe normally," he told her. "I'm going to listen to your heart." Goosebumps formed on her skin when he pressed the cold metal onto her sensitive, sunburned chest. She thought she sensed a slight glimmer of enjoyment in his eye upon seeing her skin react this way. But to her surprise, she didn't think she minded. She stared up at the ceiling as he listened to several points around her heart, making a conscious effort to just relax and enjoy his caring attention. He moved the stethoscope down and continued to listen to her abdomen. She closed her eyes, trying to forget how naked and exposed she was, and focused on the sensation of his touch.

Finally finished with his auscultation, he hung the stethoscope back around his neck. "Okay, Carrie, I'm going to feel your belly now." A strange but pleasant electric sensation coursed through her body as he pressed his hand into her abdomen, massaging and kneading her flesh. She had never felt anything like it. The more she gave in to him, the more new and interesting things she started to feel. "Is your stomach still bothering you?" he asked.

"A little bit, not as much as it was," she replied.

He pressed down directly over her stomach, causing her to moan slightly. He gave her a look that said he wasn't amused with her trying to downplay her symptoms, but then squeezed her hand compassionately. "Headache?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Okay," he said. "I'm fairly sure this is sun poisoning. I need to get your temperature." He reached into his bag. She started to sit up, but he gently pushed her back down by the shoulder. "Turn on your side," he said.

"Oh my God, Devin, really?" she moaned. "You do know how old I am, right?"

"Hey," he admonished. "Who's the doctor here?"

She rolled her eyes.

"We need an accurate core body temperature," he said. "Now come on, you've done this before and you know it's not that bad."

(Part 5)

"I'm going to give you a full exam," he said. "The sunburn has got you badly dehydrated for sure, but I want to make sure nothing else is going on."

She sighed and nodded. She was sure he was overreacting, but there wasn't any point in arguing.

Seated in front of her once again, he reached up and placed his hands on either side of her neck, thoroughly feeling each group of lymph nodes for any swelling. Though she usually found this uncomfortable, she noticed this time that having his hands on her, even in this manner, was oddly comforting. Still, she trembled slightly.

"Relax, Carrie. It's just me," he said softly. She smiled at him weakly, taking another deep breath to calm herself. He moved down to feel the nodes above her collarbone, pressing as gently as possible to avoid irritating her sunburn. Carrie squirmed, this being the first time she noticed how much the burn hurt. "Sorry, sweetie." he said.

"It's okay," she said. "It's my own fault." He made no move to argue with her on that.

Retrieving his stethoscope from his bag, he moved to sit beside her on the bed. She self-consciously folded her hands in her lap to cover herself, as if she had just suddenly remembered she was completely naked. After placing the earpieces in his ears, he held the cold disc to her back, causing her to gasp. "I know it's cold," he said. "Take some slow, deep breaths." She obeyed. Staring ahead, she wondered if he was watching her breasts rise and fall, but she couldn't bring herself to make eye contact.

Satisfied with her breath sounds, he removed the stethoscope from his ears and draped it around his neck, before moving back to the chair facing her. "Okay, stand up for me and turn around," he instructed. She did as he asked and stood with her back to him, painfully aware that he now had an excellent view of her rear end.

"Can't I cover up a little bit?" she begged. "You didn't make me strip naked last time."

"You didn't have a severe sunburn and need a full skin assessment last time," he said. "And besides, don't you trust me by now?"

"Of course I do," she replied. "It's just embarrassing."

"Well, you shouldn't be embarrassed." he assured her. "But if you are, then I guess that will make you think twice about skipping the sunscreen, won't it?"

She sighed, realizing it was no use. And somehow she doubted that using sunscreen would make a difference in whether he allowed her to keep her clothes on the next time he had a reason to examine her.

(Part 4)

Two weeks later, he was at her door. She hugged him tightly, not realizing until this very moment just how much she had missed him. He returned the embrace, rubbing her back and kissing her on the forehead. She blushed as they pulled away.

"I'm so glad you came," she said.

Over the next two days, they toured the city, eating in fancy restaurants and taking walks and picnics in the park. It was on the second night, while they were watching a movie on Carrie's couch, that Devin noticed she looked distracted and uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Part of her didn't want to tell him, didn't want him going all "Dr. Devin" on her again. But to her surprise, another part of her did want that, longed for him to take care of her. "My stomach's just upset," the latter part blurted out before the former could stop it.

He felt her cheek with the back of his hand, which instantly made her melt inside. "Oh wow, you're really warm," he said. "Why don't you let me take a look at you?"

She hesitated.

"It's all right, Carrie." He took her hand. "Let me take care of you."

"Okay," she said meekly.

With a look that was stern yet sympathetic, he added, "That means I'm in charge."

She nodded.

After stopping the movie and turning off the TV, he gathered her in his arms and carried her to her bedroom, where he lay her gently on the bed. Carrie felt butterflies in her stomach. As much as she still hated having her body touched and scrutinized, she felt herself yearning for Devin's gentle yet commanding care.

When Devin switched on the overhead light, he immediately saw the source of the heat he had felt on Carrie's face. "Oh Carrie," he said, "you are really burnt. Didn't you wear sunscreen?"

She shook her head no. The look he gave her in return made her feel like a scolded puppy.

"All right," he said, "I'll be right back." He left the room and returned a minute later, carrying a kitchen chair and his medical bag. "Okay," he said, "let's see how bad this is." Though she had worn a tank top and shorts earlier in the day, she now wore jeans and a t-shirt. "You're going to have to take your clothes off, Carrie," he told her.

She started to protest, but remembered she had agreed to let him be in charge. Her face flushed, but she figured it probably couldn't visibly get any redder. She sat up, swinging her legs off the side of the bed, and removed her shirt. Then she stood to unzip and remove her jeans. Still in her bra and panties, she prayed he wouldn't ask her to remove them as well. He continued to watch her expectantly, and she realized this particular prayer would not be answered. She turned her back to him while she unfastened her bra. She couldn't decide which direction would be worse to face while taking off her panties, so she elected to keep her back to him. Finally completely naked, she crossed her arms to cover her breasts and turned around, sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

He sat in front of her in the chair he had brought from the kitchen. "You have to let me see," he said as he gently took her wrists and pulled her arms away just as he had done in the hotel room the night of the reunion. "It's nothing I haven't seen before." She wasn't sure if he was referring to her or to breasts in general, but either way he was right. She breathed deeply in an attempt to relax.

Devin held her hands as he surveyed the crisp tank top shaped outline of the dark red sunburn on her chest and shoulders. Then he stood and leaned around to see the equally burnt skin on her back. He winced. "Jeez, Carrie," he said. "I'm not surprised you don't feel well."

"I didn't expect to burn like this," she said.

"Well, when this is over I know you'll wear sunscreen next time."

She looked at him but didn't say anything. She wondered just what he had planned for her.

(Part 3)

Back in her hotel room after breakfast, Carrie's thoughts swirled as she packed for her flight home. She couldn't deny that some of those familiar fluttery feelings had been revived when she had first hugged Devin at the reunion last night, when she woke from her fainting spell to see him hovering over her calling her name, and when he had scooped her up and carried her back up to her room. To hear that he felt the same way, that he had always felt the same way, made a part of her want to jump into his arms and be carried off into the proverbial sunset. She also couldn't deny that a part of her had been turned on by his domination, the intimate exam he had subjected her to, even the unexpected spanking. She had not been as upset with him as it seemed this morning – it was more that she was confused by her own reactions. And she was still confused. She had never imagined herself as a submissive in any sense of the word. Could she become what he wanted? And what about the distance? She was fairly sure she did not want a long-distance relationship, and it would definitely not work for what Devin was looking for. But she didn't think it was wise for either of them to uproot, leave their jobs and move hundreds of miles just to start a relationship that may or may not last.

And that is what she told him when she called him two days later from home. Under different circumstances, she said, she would like to have seen where things would have gone. But it was too complicated, and she didn't want complicated. Devin was disappointed, but he understood.

=====

Two months passed, and Carrie couldn't stop thinking about Devin. Complicated or not, she realized she missed him and wanted to see him again. Finally, she picked up the phone and called him.

"Carrie!" he exclaimed. "I'm so happy to hear your voice."

She blushed. "I've been thinking –"

"I can't stop thinking about you," he interrupted.

"I can't stop thinking about you, either."

"Is it still too complicated?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said, "but I want to see you."

"Well, I have some vacation time coming. How about I come for a visit?"

(Part 2)

The silence was painful as they drove to a nearby diner, took their seats at a corner booth, and looked over the menus before placing their orders. When they could avoid conversation no longer, Devin spoke.

"Okay," he said, "here goes. I've always really liked you, Carrie. I love your spirit, your sense of humor... And most of all I love your defiant, stubborn streak, but that in the end you always do the smart thing. Last night you reminded me of all that, and I guess I got carried away with wishful thinking."

"Are you serious?" she said. "So all those years ago, when you knew I had that painful schoolgirl crush on you..."

"Back then, you were my little sister's best friend. And the age gap seemed too significant. But that doesn't mean I didn't think you were amazing. Seeing you now and remembering what I always liked about you, now that we're older, two years doesn't seem like such a big deal."

"I wish you had told me. Even if you had said, 'Look, I like you too, but I think I'm too old for you.' Do you know how stupid I felt, thinking it was just a one-sided crush and knowing that you knew?"

"I'm sorry." He touched her hand.

She smiled weakly at his tender touch. It did feel nice. "Okay, but… The way you acted last night, the way you were so… controlling... And the fact that you" – she lowered her voice to a whisper – "spanked me..." She felt herself blushing again. "That's the way you would be with someone you were in a relationship with?"

This time it was Devin who turned red. "Well, not all the time. But… I do hope it can be like that some of the time. That there can be times when I can take charge and that you – or she – would be okay with that. I'm not talking about controlling your life. Just occasional, consensual, submission in the privacy of our home." He blushed again. "God, you're the first person I've ever said this out loud to."

"Well," Carrie grinned, "It's only fair that I know your big secret, since you knew mine all those years."

He laughed nervously. "I know I caught you off guard last night," he said. "I really didn't plan for that to happen, and it shouldn't have happened without us having discussed all of this first. I really am sorry for that."

She nodded as if to accept his apology.

He continued. "And I know it probably seems crazy to you right now. If it's too crazy for you, I understand. But I have a feeling, if you give it a chance, get used to the idea, you might come around."

"I don't know, Devin." She didn't think it was crazy – that wasn't the right word. It wasn't as if she had never heard of men who like to spank their wives or women who liked to be spanked. She just had never imagined being one of them.

"I know it's a lot to digest," he said.

"I mean," she said, "before you even get into the rest of it, have you even thought about the fact that we live hundreds of miles apart from each other?"

"I know," he said, "and I'm not sure what we would do about that, assuming you would even consider giving something between us a chance."

"You're going to have to give me some time to think."

Devin nodded. "I know."