"Carrie…" Devin's voice remained calm.

"No!" Carrie protested. "No freaking way!"

"Carrie, listen to me." He gently but firmly held her by the wrist. "I promise it'll be quick and painless. And it'll be a lot less embarrassing done by someone you know and trust, than by a stranger at the hospital."

Yeah, but a hell of a lot more embarrassing with someone you used to fantasize about, she thought to herself. She glared at him. But one look into his eyes had the power to soften her defiance. She could see that he meant business, but also saw genuine concern, and she knew that he was doing what was best for her. She closed her eyes and sighed, covering her face with her free hand. "Dear God…" she muttered. ”Okay, fine."

"Good girl." He squeezed her hand. "I need you to take off your panties and lie down on your side."

She turned about a hundred shades of red. "Turn around," she demanded. He nodded and respectfully did as she asked. Yes, he was about to look directly at, not to mention push a thermometer into, her rear end. She was well aware of the irony in not wanting him to watch her remove her panties. She didn't care, and was thankful that Devin, being the gentleman he was even when humiliating her beyond belief, chose not to point this out. After sliding her panties off and tucking them inside a drawer, she allowed her dress to fall back over her and sat apprehensively on the side of the bed. "Okay," she said quietly.

He turned back around to face her. "Okay," he said, and patted the mattress. "Lie down and turn on your left side for me." Her eyes pleaded with him, hoping he would change his mind. But he said nothing, and waited as she slowly lowered herself. He placed a hand on her hip to guide her onto her side. She felt a jolt of electricity with this simple touch. It confused her. She hated this, hated what he was making her do. Why, then, was she getting so turned on whenever he touched her?

"Pull your knees up toward your chest," he said. As she bent her knees, he moved her legs into position, her right knee slightly higher than the left. She moved her hand up to cover her face. This was so embarrassing. She wanted to disappear. She heard the snap of the rubber gloves as he pulled them on. "I'm going to lift up your dress now," he told her. He waited for a response, but she said nothing as her heart began to pound. "Here we go," he said. He raised the back of her dress up to her waist, and she drew a deep breath as she felt cool air reach her backside. "That's good," he said. "Just breathe."

Just get this over with, she thought.

She could hear him open a tube of lubricant and squeeze some out. "Okay, Carrie," he said. "You're going to feel me spread your bottom open with one hand, and then you'll feel my finger as I apply some lubricant." She squeezed her eyes shut. This isn't happening, this isn't happening, she kept repeating to herself. She whimpered when she felt his hand lift her right buttock, and then jerked when his finger touched her with the cold gel. "Relax. It's okay," he told her. He spread the lubricant around, pushing his finger slightly inside her rectum. Her eyes popped open. This really can't be happening, she thought. She was going to kill Deidre for making her come to this stupid reunion. "All right," he said, "now here comes the thermometer." He slowly inserted it, which was not as physically uncomfortable as she expected, but it was quite possibly the most humiliating moment of her life. Once the thermometer was in, he allowed her cheeks to close and rested his hand back on her now bare hip. She again felt her pulse quicken. What the hell? She loved feeling his hand there, but how could she be turned on at a time like this?

"It's just going to be a couple of minutes," he told her. She wasn't sure, but she thought she felt him slightly squeezing and massaging her hip, as if to soothe her. She almost let out a soft moan, quickly moving her hand from covering her eyes, to covering her mouth to stop it.